All primary and secondary pupils affected by school closures now have alternative education plans put in place for next week by the City of Edinburgh Council.
Arrangements made on Friday 15 April 2016 include 390 pupils from Firrhill High School using Edinburgh Napier University’s Craiglockhart campus and 16 temporary classrooms from across the UK being installed at The Royal High School.
Arrangements have also been made for 740 nursery pupils affected bringing the overall total to 8,340 children.
From Tuesday (19 April):
- Firrhill High School – S1 and S2 pupils will be relocated to Edinburgh Napier University Craiglockhart campus.
- Gracemount High School – S1-S3 pupils will be relocated to Wester Hailes Education Centre.
- The Royal High School – over the weekend 16 temporary classrooms will be installed in the grounds for S1 and S2 pupils.
From Wednesday, 20 April 2016, Craigmount S1 pupils will be based in Forrester High School/St Augustine’s High School Campus, S2 pupils will be in the Darroch Centre (currently known as James Gillespie’s Annexe) and S3 pupils will be at Broughton High School. The pupils will be taught in their own class groups and by their own teachers.
Staff will be contacting parents directly to update them on the arrangements for their own individual child. The information is also available on the Council website.
It has been a huge logistical exercise for the Council to identify alternative arrangements involving: the use of over 70 buses for pupils, 61 alternative schools (including nurseries and Early Years Centres), relocation of 655 teachers and 30 organisations throughout the city have offered assistance.
The integration of pupils into alternative schools is going well.
Council Leader Andrew Burns said:
I’m pleased we have now been able to put in place arrangements for all our pupils and I can assure parents and pupils that work will be taking place over the weekend and Monday to ensure the new arrangements are ready their arrival next week.
It’s great to hear about how well the integration of pupils sharing schools has been going and how the people of Edinburgh have responded.
We will provide parents with further information on individual school surveys once the full reports are received and assessed.
The programme of structural surveys arranged by the Edinburgh Schools Partnership is continuing over the weekend and in to next week.
The Council will update parents directly, via text message, the Council website and via the Council Twitter @Edinburgh_CC as soon as information becomes available.
