Council to pay back £540m for schools in PPP fiasco
Exams postponed in wake of closures
EXAMS are to be postponed for students disrupted by the Edinburgh schools scandal as it emerged the city will be forced to pay back more than half a billion pounds over the lifetime of a private finance initiative (PFI) deal.
Oral tests in Spanish, French and German and other practical examinations, such as drama presentations, are among those being delayed following the closure of 17 schools in the capital amid safety fears.
It means pupils studying for national qualifications and Highers have been allowed a period of grace following the disruption.
About 7,600 pupils missed the first two days of the new term following the Easter break and most will not be back in class until next week.
Five secondaries, 10 primaries and two additional support needs schools were shut on Friday because of concerns over structural issues after a wall collapsed at Oxgangs Primary School in January following Storm Gertrude.
News of the delays comes as it is revealed the city will have to pay private consortium Edinburgh Schools Partnership, which built and maintains the buildings through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) deal, a total of £540m over the next 30 years.
But Edinburgh council is refusing to pay the latest private finance charges and will withhold the latest £1.5m instalment, invoking its legal rights under the contract.
And the city hopes to claw back cash to reimburse parents for childcare costs incurred as a result of the unplanned closures.
City chief executive Andrew Kerr said: “Edinburgh Schools Partnership has already confirmed that they will accept full financial responsibility for investigating and resolving these construction issues to ensure each and every affected school undergoes all necessary remedial work.
“In addition, I have raised the prospect of parents’ childcare costs being reimbursed and await a response.”
The council said positive discussions have taken place with the Scottish Qualifications Authority, which has agreed to delay practical exams.
Larry Flanagan, secretary of teaching union the EIS said the decision to postpone certain exams was a “sensible step” and would mean affected pupils should not be disadvantaged.
Luke McCullough, of the Royal High School Parent Council, said the move to delay was a step in the right direction and” perhaps the only one they could make”.
He added: “However, parents would still welcome a very clear commitment direct from the Scottish Qualifications Authority, rather than via the council, that they have processes in place to ensure that all candidates impacted by these closures will be at no disadvantage.”
But reacting to the £540m cost of the private finance deal, Mr McCullough said the figures were staggering.
“I’m sure many parents will find these figures eye-watering, and some will be left wondering just how gross a failure would have to occur on the part of the contractor before the council exercised any exit or termination rights that they may have within the contract,” he said.
Priority in returning pupils to school was given to high school students in
fourth, fifth and sixth year who are preparing for key exams.
Council leader Andrew Burns said: “Having rightly prioritised arrangements for those children taking examinations in the coming weeks, the two special schools were next to be addressed and I’m pleased that these are now in place. We have now put in place alternative education arrangements for the majority of pupils, and work continues to identify alternative options for other primary and S1 to S3 pupils.
“We will communicate to parents as soon as we have further information.”
Meanwhile, the programme of structural surveys arranged by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership is continuing this week.
It came as more details of the costs of PPP deals elsewhere also emerged. A Freedom of Information request to North Ayrshire Council reveals PPP/PFI contract costs for 2016-17 of nearly £12.9 million for the upkeep of four schools with a roll of more than 3,600 pupils, said GMB Scotland.