Council Leader Andrew Burns today issued an unconditional apology to pupils, families and carers for the disruption and anxiety caused by ‘negative developments in the school estate’.
Seventeen PPP1 Edinburgh schools closed earlier this month owing to concerns about their construction (Breaking news, 9.4.16). Some, including Drummond CHS, have since reopened with limited areas still out of bounds.
These issues had taken too long to resolve, said Burns, but he expected to have the full results of a significant, peer-reviewed survey of the affected buildings either tomorrow or very soon afterwards.
Some closures could last months
Speaking at a full meeting of the Council this morning, Cllr Burns said the emerging situation was likely to vary across the city. Some schools could be back to normal within weeks, others not for months.
He repeated that safety concerns had left him with no other choice but to order the closures.
A full report will be discussed at the Corporate Policy and Strategy meeting on 17 May, with its contents available to the public around six days earlier. At that stage, Burns clarified after repeated questions from Cllr Edie, he will prompt a full, independently led inquiry.
Construction not contracts to blame
Burns was at pains to stress that the problem resulted from construction failures, not contractual ones. Lourdes Primary School in Glasgow – put up by one of the same construction firms, Miller Construction – had been forced to close in 2012 even though it had been built under a traditional procurement process.
He reiterated that associated costs would rest squarely with the Edinburgh Schools Partnership, not the Edinburgh taxpayer.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority had been kept informed throughout, and if alternative arrangements for examinations were necessary then students now fully understood where they were expected to be and when.
Logistical challenge
Coping with the crisis had been an unprecedented logistical challenge, said Cllr Burns. He gratefully acknowledged the help of the Scottish Government and other voluntary partners, and praised the efforts of Council colleagues, school staff and pupils.
Putting in place alternative arrangements for 7,600 primary and secondary pupils and 740 nursery children in just over one week had been a remarkable achievement. However, he was as frustrated as everyone else at the inconvenience being experienced, and work would continue to improve and refine these arrangements.
Due attention is being paid, he said, to the needs of primary pupils at key transition phases of their school careers.
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@theSpurtle but had the contract been more robust the poor construction would not have been possible.
@theSpurtle and there is still no word on compensation for parents and pupils to cover their unexpected costs