Worried parents of pupils at a West Lothian school have said that they have been left in the lurch after their kids' primary was closed over concerns about the roof.
Those attending Knightsbridge Primary School are understood to have been sent to other primaries in the local area after alarms were raised over faulty material - Siporex - that led to houses at Deans South being condemned.
The school was closed on Friday November 11 and school children were sent to a variety of other settings as Knightsbridge is set to be closed for the foreseeable future.
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Parents received a notification from the school on Saturday that informed them that “structural issues” had been found and that the primary would be shut down with immediate effect, the Daily Record.
A later text message was also sent on Monday informing those concerned about further details of the situation.
But one parent had contacted the Courier to say that many of them were upset as there was “no communication about the seriousness of this situation until 4.30pm on Monday”.
The parent, who did not want to be named, continued: “I feel for all the teachers, staff and children of Knightsridge, so I wouldn’t want to have a dig at them but communication should have been better.“
"There are also concerns around there being no breakfast club for working parents, siblings being separated, children in P7 potentially not returning to the school.
“Parents were unaware of the siporex issue or the annual monitoring of it, there has been no parent session with council/head teacher until Thursday night and no timeline or optimism in the email.
“Our children have just came out of covid and as much as the parents will make this feel like an ‘adventure’ it’s daunting and the lack of stability may affect learning.”
Headteacher Joanne Kerr sought to reassure parents, adding: “We fully understand the disruption that this will result in for pupils and parents and I can assure you that we have put in place robust arrangements to ensure continuity for pupils, and to minimise the disruption to their education.
“Following the contingency arrangements that we have put in place I’d like to reassure everyone that all pupils will remain within their existing classes and will continue to have their current class teacher.
“The safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff is our priority. We will keep parents/carers up- to-date with information as quickly as we can and information sessions will be held this week.”
A spokesperson for West Lothian Council stressed parents were kept informed and given information as soon as possible.
He continued: “Council officers were advised on Friday evening by our independent Structural Engineer Contractors that, following an inspection, there are issues identified within the roof structure at Knightsridge Primary School.
“As a result, the council’s structural engineering contractor who carried out the inspection advised that the school should be closed with immediate effect.
“This means the school is closed to all primary pupils and staff until further notice. Alternative arrangements for all pupils have been put in place. We have informed all parents and carers of the situation and the alternative arrangements.
The safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff is our priority and we will continue to keep parents/carers up-to-date with information as quickly as we can.
“Further detailed assessments need to be carried out to determine the extent of the issues, any potential action that may be required, and what the potential timescales are for any future actions.”
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