Some classrooms at Preston Lodge High School are now out of commission after some compromised Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was discovered.
But it is important to note that the school remains open to pupils, with the following arrangements in place:
· Six temporary units in the school grounds to increase capacity
· The new S1 intake will be learning in a Home Room environment within their current primary school. The learning will be led by Preston Lodge teachers, and pupils will spend some time within the secondary school. 8 new teachers have been recruited to support Home Rooms. This is a temporary arrangement while the technical options appraisal work to determine the next steps for the confirmed RAAC areas concludes
· PE provision will take place at Meadowmill Sports Centre in Prestonpans for all year groups
· Preston Lodge will return on Thursday 17 August (one day after our other schools) to give teachers an extra in-service day to prepare for the new arrangements.
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “Inspection works at Preston Lodge confirmed that Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was used in the construction of some, but not all, parts of the school building. As a result of faults identified in some of the RAAC, it was necessary to close some parts of the building as a precautionary measure. This is until inspections are complete and engineers advise on potential options.
“Additional units have been installed in the school grounds to increase the school’s capacity. Temporary arrangements have been introduced which will see the new S1 year group to learn in Home Rooms based primarily in their current primary schools from the start of the new term. The school has recruited additional teachers for this purpose alongside a number of other supports.
“Our Education service is working closely with the school management team to ensure quality learning and teaching continues while the technical teams continue their work to determine next steps.
“We are grateful for the support of the Preston Lodge school community. Head Teacher Gavin Clark and his team look forward to welcoming pupils back to school for the new term.”
Mr Clark has already advised pupils, parents and carers of the plans before the last term ended, and will keep everyone updated as the new term approaches.
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