BLUNDER WALL
•No brick ties used •Suspicious stairwell movement
Part of a high school built under PFI has been closed after a “suspicious wall movement” was discovered.
Concerns have been raised about a wall in a stairwell at Balfron High.
And the Observer has learned that a wall at the school which collapsed during Storm Gertrude had no wall ties installed
Earlier this month, 17 schools in Edinburgh were closed after checks found safety concerns at all of the buildings. The schools were built by Miller Construction around 10 years ago as part of a Public Private Partnership (PPP).
Following the collapse of a wall at Oxgangs Primary, Edinburgh, following a heavy storm in January, it was found that fixtures called header ties, which bind the top of brick walls to a building’s main structural wall, were missing at several schools in the capital.
Investigations were later carried out at all of Stirling’s schools and no issues were reported at those built by the council or under the PPP contract
with Stirling Gateway.
However, two issues were discovered at Balfron, which is under the ownership of Balfron Schools Ltd and was built at a cost of £18 million under a separate PFI agreement in 2001.
Independent contractors found that there had been what has been described as “suspicious wall movement” at a stairwell and a minor issue had been found at a wall at the small gym hall.
The area around the stairwell has now been closed off.
Investigations into the wall that collapsed at the end of January found that wall ties had not been installed.
Further checks were then carried out at all other walls, and no other problems have been found. The council have said that this was an isolated case.
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “Recent precautionary checks at Balfron High brought to light two minor issues related to walls in a stairwell and the school’s small gym. Parents were notified of this.
“These are issues that would be expected to arise within a building that is now 15 years old and were nothing to do with building quality or practices.
“Repair work has already been completed on the gym, and scaffolding is arriving today (Tuesday, April 26) to begin repair work on the stairwell.
“Alternative routes around the school during this time are already being implemented, and the school will continue to run normally with no disruption to education while these repairs are being made.”
Parents were informed in a letter last week that two issues had been discovered and that work would be carried out to rectify them.
Stirling MP Steven Paterson said that the building issues confirmed his fears about PFI and PPP contracts.
He said: “I am glad that independent inspections have been swiftly carried out on local schools, however, for many parents and staff, the revelations from Balfron High will confirm fears over PFI/PPP contracts.
“The Tories invented PFI and Labour and the Lib Dems embraced it with open arms costing the taxpayer billions in wasted funds that should have been invested in public services.”
Stirling SNP candidate Bruce Crawford has requested daily updates from council chief executive Stewart Carruth.
“He said: “I am very concerned about the potential impact this could have on pupils.
“This is a crucial time for young people who are preparing to sit their exams and the last thing they need is disruption during their study period.
“I have been in touch with Stirling Council’s chief executive seeking daily updates on the situation as it evolves - including contingency plans for any affected parts of the school that could be facing closure.”