The Total Craigroyston initiative came to a close at the end of March, as the localities model of the City of Edinburgh Council begins to be implemented. A ‘checking-out’ session was held on 23 March at Pilton Children’s and Youth Project to share with local people and workers the progress that had been made and to identify key messages for the locality management team (writes Tim Packer). Continue reading Total Craigroyston – the final report
Tomorow’s Craigroyston Community Centre meeting has been postponed as rooms in the school’s community wing are being used by displaced primary school classes.
Craigroyston Community Centre chairperson Vanessa Cousins said: “We are having to reschedule the meeting planned for the 18th as Craigroyston Primary are having to use the rooms due to the problems with the schools in the area. We as the community are fully supporting this measure and are more than happy to help and change plans for the children. We will let you know the revised date.”
The Craigroyston group recently announced that the committee plans to mount a campaign to save community facilities in the Pennywell Road school, which they say are under threat once again.
Current plans for next week are:
ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL
S1 and S2 students should return to school at 9:40am on Tuesday 19 April. Students should report to the old front door beside the assembly hall. Please do not enter through any other school entrances.
S1 and S2 classes will be accommodated in temporary units that are being installed in the school grounds this weekend (16 and 17 April, above).
The arrangements currently in place for S3 to S6 students will continue.
Positive discussions have been taking place with the Scottish Qualifications Authority who have agreed that verification and examining visits for all subjects that were due to take place this week have been postponed and will be rescheduled with individual schools.
We will update students when we have more information.
Ceramic Forget-Me-Nots to remember family members
St Columba’s Hospice has launched a new way for people to raise money in memory of loved ones who have died at the Hospice. The Hospice now offers Tribute Funds, where people can raise money in memory of a loved one and see all of their fundraising activities in one place. Continue reading St Columba’s: saying it with flowers
All 7,600 primary and secondary pupils affected by school closures now have alternative education plans put in place for next week. The final pieces of a very complicated jigsaw puzzle were slotted in this afternoon. Continue reading School places for all: Mission Accomplished!
It’s all grow at The Botanics this weekend!
To mark 2016’s National Gardening Week, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is hosting a Spring Festival as People’s Postcode Lottery’s national Charity of the Week. Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have awarded an amazing £450,000 to RBGE for 2016, supporting projects at home and abroad. Continue reading Botanics’ Spring Festival is perfect ending to National Gardening Week
Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s new adult activities Spring Chickens group met for the first time yesterday, and by all accounts it seems the participants had an eggstra-special time! Continue reading Early success for Royston Wardieburn’s Spring Chickens
Places now found for all primary school pupils
All primary pupils affected by school closures now have alternative education plans put in place, the city council has announced. It’s been a massive challenge, but council officers have now found temporary places for almost six thousand city schoolchildren displaced after structural faults were found in seventeen PPP1 schools.
The jigsaw was completed late yesterday afternoon when pupils from the final five primary schools affected – Forthview, Pirniehall, St David’s, Broomhouse and St Josephs – were found alternative education provision.
The children will be relocated to alternative venues across the city from Tuesday next week, and it’s almost a case of ‘any port in a storm’. Some local children have been found accommodation in nearby schools including Granton and Wardie, but for other classes it’s going to mean long daily bus trips at rush hour to places including Wester Hailes, Abbeyhill and Craigmillar
The arrangements are far from ideal: the travel and strange new surroundings can be disruptive and upsetting for children and their families, but for now they know where they are going – at least in the short term. There is no indication yet just how long their own school buildings will remain closed.
Work is ongoing to identify alternative arrangements for some remaining S1 to S3 pupils.
It’s been a dreadful week of uncertainty for families, but in the past four days the Council has now put in place alternative arrangements for 5,900 pupils, which is quite an achievement. Parents have been directly notified of the new arrangements and details are available on the Council website.
Council Leader Andrew Burns said: “I’m delighted we have now been able to put in place arrangements for our primary, special school and majority of secondary pupils. Work is continuing to accommodate our S1, S2 and S3 pupils.
“The integration of pupils sharing schools has been going well and all our host staff and children have been welcoming the additional pupils and their teachers. I again want to pay credit to the Chief Executive and his team for their work on what has been a huge logistical challenge for the Council.
“On Wednesday evening the Council received early indications that suggest evidence of faults across all 17 affected schools to a varying extent. At the moment it is too early to say what the impact will be as full survey results from Edinburgh Schools Partnership have not been yet been received. Some faults may be easy to fix and may not present a major problem while others could be longer term.
“We will provide parents with further information on the impact of individual school surveys once the full reports are received and assessed.
“What is certain is that we won’t take risks with the safety of our schools 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 affected buildings.
“We will publish further information on individual school surveys when these are formally received and of course provide an update to parents on their individual schools and the remediation works required.”
The programme of structural surveys arranged by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership is ongoing.
The Council will update parents directly, via text message, the Council website (www.edinburgh.gov.uk/schoolclosures and via the Council Twitter @Edinburgh_CC as soon as information becomes available.
Forthview Primary pupils will return to school next week – but in classroooms scattered across Edinburgh. Dealing with the temporary closure of seventeen schools has been a logistical nightmare for council officials and it’s proved impossible to keep the Forthview kids together. Continue reading Forthview: going forth across the city
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’. Continue reading PPP1 school closures: Faults found at ALL schools
