A city council has ordered fresh building safety checks on 16 schools after faults were found at one primary school last month.
Oxgangs Primary SchoolIn a statement, Edinburgh City Council said problems have been found on the roof and in the suspended ceilings at Oxgangs Primary School, following an inspection by the council of recent repairs carried out by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP).
In February, some ceiling tiles and part of the frame of a suspended ceiling fell in during an after school club at Oxgangs.
One of the tiles fell on a pupil, who according to the school was not injured at the time.
“Officers from the council and our PPP provider identified that some of the hangers that suspend the ceiling were missing and this fault has now been rectified,” the school said in a statement following the incident.
The council added that despite confirmation from ESP that the issues had been made safe, the inspection showed further issues that were not addressed, namely more loose flashing across the roof and problems with suspended ceilings involving support wires, incorrectly fitted tiles and light fittings.
“We have always stated that the health and safety of our pupils and staff is paramount, which is why we are making sure these issues are remedied immediately and as a precaution, we will be carrying out similar checks on the 16 other schools in the project,” said council chief executive, Andrew Kerr.
“We are extremely concerned at these latest construction defects at Oxgangs Primary School following the wall collapse two years ago and the Edinburgh Schools Partnership have to be held accountable,” added Mr Kerr.
“It was our own proactive inspections that identified these latest issues and we will be seeking answers from ESP as they have once again let down the parents and the council over the condition of the school.”
Earlier this month, SHP Online reported that the Accounts Commission said 19 public buildings in Edinburgh were found to have similar faults after the collapse of an external wall at Oxgangs Primary School during a storm in January 2016.
The report highlighted “serious faults” in procurement, design and construction, which led to the closure of the schools after the storm.
