Child safety fears as 'repaired' ceiling falls at neglected school

Parents person raised information fears astir a dilapidated East Dunbartonshire school, aft a teacher narrowly avoided being deed erstwhile a "repaired" conception of ceiling fell down.

The 150-year-old Milngavie Primary School has faced issues with achromatic mould, mushrooms and h2o leaking done the roof.

East Dunbartonshire Council agreed successful 2021 that the schoolhouse person a afloat refurbishment, but the task was shelved this summertime owed to rising costs.

The assembly said its officers conducted regular checks of the gathering and has committed to further improvements until a refurbishment tin beryllium funded.

But the school's genitor assembly says the gathering needs a caller roof, windows and imperishable repairs.

Parents accidental it is fortunate determination were nary pupils successful people erstwhile the ceiling conception fell and the information of children and teachers is astatine hazard each day.

Karen Reid, caput of the Milngavie Primary Parent Council, said the schoolhouse was not a steadfast learning situation for the section children.

She urged the assembly to instrumentality contiguous enactment to marque the gathering watertight and windproof.

Ms Reid said the teacher who had astir been deed by a portion of falling wood was "shaken".

The wood had been nailed to the ceiling supra the teacher's table arsenic a impermanent repair.

Ms Reid said: "The teacher was precise shaken by the incidental and it was rather shocking for parents.

"She could person been earnestly injured.

"Luckily the children were astatine a euphony acquisition and not successful the classroom. I deliberation seeing thing similar that would marque them precise nervous.

"We person a batch of concerns astir the makeshift patches similar this - and immoderate of the others are astir 4 oregon 5 times the size of this patch."

Ms Reid said the incidental coincided with parents' week and made galore parents question the gait of the repairs.

She said: "Lots of parents were going into their children's classrooms and seeing cracks, spot repairs and damp - and it's conscionable not precise reassuring.

"The optimism that the repairs were coming has gone and we're truly acrophobic for children successful the gathering now.

"We request the assembly to realise the urgency of situation, particularly erstwhile bits of the ceiling are falling down."

Julie, who has lived successful the municipality for 17 years, said the woody quadrate fell successful her son's classroom.

She told BBC Scotland News that she was aggravated to perceive it had been nailed to the ceiling arsenic a impermanent repair.

"It's lone by accidental that it fell erstwhile the kids weren't there," she said.

"It's truly distressing to deliberation astir the imaginable consequences of what could've happened, and it's conscionable luck it missed the teacher.

"A kid could've been stood astatine her table erstwhile it fell.

"This conscionable shows what could hap erstwhile these things aren't done properly. We request these repairs done good and connected a timescale."

Calum, who has 2 boys astatine the schoolhouse and different successful nursery, said Milngavie Primary could not proceed to run successful its existent authorities of neglect.

"Years person gone by and basal worldly isn’t being done," helium said.

"Somebody has to instrumentality work for the information and wellbeing of the kids portion they’re successful their spot of education.

"It’s an unsustainable concern and determination is genuine interest that thing rather important could hap to either a unit subordinate oregon a child. There’s a existent concern, thing needs to beryllium done rather urgently."

Leigh has 2 children astatine the schoolhouse and says she fears her son's asthma worsening owed to the damp and mould.

"We moved present for enactment successful 2021 and thought it was a bully spot with bully schools," she told BBC Scotland News.

"The refurbishment was connected its mode astatine the time, but present it’s fallen isolated and it’s a increasing interest for the children’s health.

"The spot repairs are thing - it’s h2o ingress, the extortion is leaking. It’s the authorities of the toilets and the playground. It’s an unpleasant situation for the children to spell into.

"I’m rather acrophobic it’s conscionable rhetoric and waffle and it’ll spell different year, 2 years - and thing important volition happen."

A recent review of Scotland's schoolhouse property recovered that 8.3% of schools were successful a mediocre oregon atrocious information - which is adjacent to 204 schools.

The fig of pupils successful schools with a atrocious information standing has risen for the 3rd consecutive twelvemonth - from 1,736 successful 2023, to 4,292 this year.

And 51,905 pupils are taught successful buildings with a mediocre information rating.

East Dunbartonshire Council's assets and facilities enforcement serviceman Alan Bauer said: “A spot of MDF, applied to the ceiling arsenic portion of a historical repair, fell from a schoolroom ceiling successful Milngavie Primary School.

"Fortunately, no-one was injured, and a afloat cheque of the ceiling has been carried retired to guarantee the schoolroom is harmless for use.

"This incidental is not related to projected works to code existent isolated pockets of h2o ingress which has precocious been reported to the council."

Mr Bauer said the wellness and information of unit and pupils was the council's "utmost priority".

He confirmed that officers conducted regular checks of the schoolhouse gathering and carried retired attraction repairs, and further works were planned for the October holidays. Roof replacement options are besides nether review.