Now fears over school safety go nationwide after city’s shutdown
URGENT inspections are to be carried out in schools amid fears classrooms are unsafe.
Last week, City of Edinburgh Council took the extraordinary step of shutting down 17 schools indefinitely following safety fears relating to construction.
Now the Scottish Government has ordered all councils to carry out safety checks.
The decision to close the Edinburgh schools has left thousands of pupils in limbo, with crucial exams only weeks away.
All 17 of the schools were built under the same private finance initiative (PFI) contract more than ten years ago.
In April 2014, 12-year-old Keane Wallis-Bennett was crushed by a free-standing wall that collapsed on her at Edinburgh’s Liberton High School.
Education Secretary Angela Constance said: ‘The safety of children and staff in our schools is paramount and I recognise the concern of parents.
‘I am reassured by the prompt action taken by City of Edinburgh Council.
‘While this is primarily an issue for the council, the First Minister and I have spoken to the council leadership and offered the Scottish Government’s full support to keep disruption to education at an absolute minimum.
‘It is too early to assess any wider implications for schools in other parts of Scotland. However, officials have written to all local authorities to ask them to carry out any necessary checks as soon as possible.’
City of Edinburgh Council has still not confirmed the exact reason for the closures. Council leader Andrew Burns admitted yesterday he did not know how long they would remain closed.
The closures were announced after remedial works at Oxgangs Primary revealed serious structural issues, prompting fears all schools built under the same PFI contract, managed by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP), could be potentially compromised.
Nationalist Jim Eadie, who is standing for re-election as MSP for Edinburgh Southern, yesterday said it was ‘inconceivable’ that the contracts with ESP could continue.
The ESP has apologised to the council’s chief executive.