PPP1 school closures: Faults found at ALL schools

The city council has confirmed that construction faults have been found at all seventeen buildings built during the first PPP contract. The degree of repairs required varies, but council leader Cllr Andrew Burns has conceded that some schools may be closed ‘longer term’.

However the city council has informed parents that ALL primary school pupils will have been found suitable accommodation by Tuesday next week.

Parents from Forthview, Pirniehall and St David’s RC primary schools have yet to hear where their children will be going.

The problems were identified after a school wall collapsed at Oxgangs Primary, back in January. Oxgangs was one of the first tranche of PPP schools built ten years ago, and subsequent checks on the other 16 buildings built under the controversial scheme – five secondaries, nine primaries and two additional support needs schools – have now uncovered structural faults, believed to involve missing ties used to support building walls.

The council received early indications last night that suggest evidence of the faults across all schools. It’s understood that some faults could be easy to fix and may not present a major problem, while others could be longer term – it’s possible that some may be closed for weeks.

Councillor Burns told BBC Scotland this morning: “Early indications are that there is evidence of some fault at all the schools but it’s too early to say how that will physically impact in terms of the length of closure for each of the individual 17 schools. Some schools will be affected in a small way and other schools might be affected in the longer term.”

Edinburgh Schools Partnership continues to carry out surveys on all PPP1 schools and the city council has promised to provide parents with further information on the impact of individual school surveys once the full reports are received and assessed.

In a statement, the council said: “We will not take risks with the safety of our school children and schools won’t reopen until Edinburgh Schools Partnership can assure us of their safety.  As part of the contract, Edinburgh Schools Partnership own, maintain and assure the safety of the PPP1 buildings.”