A pilot scheme to ban parking outside city primary schools has led to an increase in the number of pupils walking to school, according to a report to the city council’s Transport & Environment Committee. The evaluation of the School Streets scheme also showed lower vehicle speeds on surrounding roads and a reduction in the number of cars around schools. Continue reading School run no more?
All 17 schools closed because of structural concerns back in March will welcome back city pupils next week. The final remedial works on Drummond Community High and The Royal High have now been completed by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership which means all pupils will be back in their own schools as normal for the start of the new session next Wednesday.
The confirmation will be a huge relief to pupils, parents and school staff and brings to an end a saga that has dragged on since April.
The first sign that something was wrong came in January, when hundreds of bricks were dislodged from a wall at Oxgangs Primary School during Storm Gertrude. Repairs were carried out and the school reopened within a few days – but was closed again weeks later when an inspection revealed serious concerns about the way the external wall had been constructed when the school was first built 10 years ago.
Oxgangs was part of the controversial Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme that saw 17 schools built or refurbished in a £360m deal between the council and a private finance consortium.
Days later, three more schools – St Peter’s RC Primary, Firrhill High and Braidburn Special School – were also closed after being deemed to be unsafe for pupils and these were followed in April by the remainder of the PPP1 schools, including local primaries Pirniehall, St David’s, Craigroyston and Forthview as well as Rowanfied Special School.
The schools were all built by Miller Construction, which was bought over by Galliford Try in 2014..
In total 17 schools were closed with 7,600 pupils affected as the Council put in place a huge logistical plan to provide alternative arrangements. More than 5,000 children were educated at over 70 different schools and education facilities during the three months until the summer holidays.
Council Leader Andrew Burns said yesterday: “I’m delighted that all of our pupils affected by the closures will be back in their own schools next week as we promised parents we would try to achieve this. We stressed to the Edinburgh Schools Partnership that they should bring forward school reopening dates where possible which has happened.
“Our priority has always been the safety of our pupils and staff and we insisted that ESP and their contractors ensure all our schools are 100% safe to reopen. All the relevant paperwork has been published on our website having been reviewed by an independent expert on behalf of the Council.
“I want again to thank parents and pupils for their patience and understanding and teaching staff for their commitment and flexibility during these difficult past few months.
“The next steps now are to establish exactly what went wrong with these schools. The Council has appointed respected construction and procurement industry expert John Cole CBE to lead an independent inquiry.
“Clear and thorough terms of reference set out exactly what we are aiming to achieve through this inquiry. We want to find out what went wrong and are determined to see what lessons can be learned, not just here in Edinburgh but across Scotland and the UK.”
The independent inquiry is underway and is expected to finish before the end of the year.
Free helpline for students expecting SQA results today
A free helpline offering advice, information and support for young people and their parents has opened, ahead of today’s SQA results. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has a free helpline which will be open from 8am to 8pm today and tomorrow and then from 9am to 5pm until 17 August. Continue reading Exam results: help and advice available
The city council has confirmed that respected construction and procurement industry expert John Cole CBE will lead the independent inquiry into Edinburgh’s school closures. Continue reading Chair of PPP school closures inquiry announced
Going for gold at Spartans Olympics
Spartans Community Football Academy are hosting a Sportsday for local primary schools on Wednesday 25 May. This will be the third year of this annual event and Granton, Craigroyston, Pirniehall, St David’s and Flora Stevenson P7s will all take part. Continue reading Countdown to super sportsday at Spartans
School closure offers unexpected opportunities
Last month’s closure of 17 PPP1 schools caused much anxiety – for council officers, for school staff and particularly for families and for children. And while the saga rumbles on, many local parents and carers still don’t know when their child will return to his or her own school. Continue reading A time to make new friends
Ferryhill Primary School is closed following a safety check this morning. Continue reading Ferryhill closed following fire alarm
Stay of execution for Ratho haven
Pilton Retreat has been spared – for now. The community resource at Ratho has received one year’s support – but must use that time to explore other sources of funding. Continue reading Pilton Retreat safe … for now
The city council has confirmed alternative arrangements for pupils sitting exams next month who are affected by the current school closures.
The contingency plans have been put together as exams start in the first week of May, and all pupils will be sitting their exams in the schools they are currently attending.
The arrangements are:
Individual schools will update pupils and parents regarding their specific arrangements.
Over the past week the Council has had very positive discussions with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) about exams and the contingency arrangements.
Education Convener Councillor Paul Godzik said: “With the first exams only a few weeks away it is absolutely vital that we have these plans in place and pupils are given notice as to where they will be sitting their exams.
“Pupils have enough to do with their studying preparations without additional worry over where they may be sitting them. Despite the hugely challenging situation the Council have tried to ensure our pupils are given every chance to prepare properly and that as far as possible they are not impacted by the school closures.
“We will be outlining in detail to the SQA the arrangements we have put in place and how this has affected pupils, as well as providing additional study support to pupils where we feel this is necessary.”
Jean Blair, SQA Director of Operations, said: “Clearly our primary concern is for all the young people involved. We continue to work closely with City of Edinburgh Council and the individual schools to support them in the practical arrangements for the exams, which begin on Wednesday 4 May.
“The national timetable of exams will continue as planned and pupils should continue with their studies in preparation to sit their exams on the dates in the published exam timetable.”
The programme of structural surveys arranged by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership is continuing. Parents will be provided with further information on individual school surveys once the full reports are received and assessed.
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
