No concerns for Fife schools after Edinburgh closures

Structural problems have closed 17 schools in Edinburgh, but Fife Council has assured parents that Fife schools are unaffected.

Schools in Fife have been given a clean bill of health following the Public Private Partnership (PPP) row in Edinburgh.

Fife Council has reassured parents there will be no school building closures in the Kingdom following concerns over potential structural issues.

Seventeen schools in the capital remained closed following the Easter holidays after inspections discovered a number of faults with the buildings, erected by contractors Miller Construction, as part of the PPP1 project 10 years ago.

Five secondaries, 10 primaries and two additional support needs schools were closed affecting around 7,600 pupils, though 2,000 had been able to return to class this week.

Shelagh McLean, head of education and children’s services (equity and system improvement) said that Fife Council had inspected its own PPP schools during the Easter break, and would continue to monitor the situation.

“Following the most recent information to emerge from Edinburgh on Friday afternoon, Fife Council has contacted both of our PPP contractors again to carry out further inspections in Fife,” she said.

“Thorough inspections undertaken during the holiday period had raised no structural issues with our buildings.”

The schools inspected were; Anstruther Primary School and sports hall, Beath High School, Queen Anne High School, Duloch campus, comprising Duloch Primary School and Calaiswood School, Fair Isle Primary School, Inverkeithing Primary School, Kennoway Primary School and nursery, Masterton Primary School and nursery, Oakley campus, comprising Holy Name RC Primary School, Inzievar Primary and nursery, Strathallan Primary School and nursery and St Columbas Primary School, Cupar.