Some pupils return to school in Edinburgh, but no timescale set for repairs

Around half of the pupils are set to return to school after the closure of 17 schools across Edinburgh due to safety concerns.

Most of the 2,000 pupils facing exams who were affected by the closures are among those heading back to the classroom, after two days away from school.

The move comes after an urgent search for alternative accommodation and will see some pupils return to their own schools and other housed in near by secondary schools.

While almost half of the affected pupils will return to the classroom, a timescale for the full reopening remains unclear, with thousands of pupils still currently out of the classroom. Officials have said that the remaining pupils will be rehoused by Tuesday 19 April.

The issues stem from health and safety concerns over serious structural problems at 10 primaries, five secondaries and two additional support schools which were built and managed under the same £130 million public-private partnership (PPP) programme.

Andrew Kerr, chief of Edinburgh city council, said: “We have now put in place alternative arrangements for 3,300 pupils, including as a priority all senior pupils in S4, S5 and S6 sitting exams in the near future, which has been a huge logistical exercise.

“Work is continuing to identify alternative options for other primary, special and S1 to S3 pupils which we will communicate to parents as soon as we have further information.”