A ‘forgotten’ primary school is at the centre of new plans for an extension.
Mauricewood Primary School, in Penicuik, has more than 350 pupils on its roll with one in five coming from local military based families, but saw plans to extend it paused last year due to a lack of funds.
Concerned parents called on the Scottish Government to step in amid claims an electrical fault had sparked a fire which went undetected until children raised the alarm.
It was also claimed that despite having leaking roofs and being below standard the local authority told worried families they did not have funds to extend or tackle issues in the school leading parents to claim it was being ‘forgotten’.
Now the council has lodged a new application with its planners to build six classrooms and a new sports hall at the school after carrying out repair work over the summer.
A spokesperson for the council said work had been carried out over the summer to improve the condition of the school using council funds with the new extension funded by developers contributions.
They said: “The budget for the new six class and games hall modular extension to Mauricewood Primary School is circa £4 million. The project is fully funded through developer contributions, planned as part of the council’s Learning Estate Strategy.
“Separate improvement and upgrade works to the existing school, identified through a condition survey, were carried out over the summer as part of the council’s Asset Management Programme. These upgrades were fully funded by the council and are entirely separate from the extension project.
“The work included the replacement of all windows, partial roof replacement, with further roof works ongoing, as well as improvements to disabled access, electrical systems, alarms and external lighting.”
The design statement for the new extension says it will provide space for another 120 pupils to attend the school over the next five years with up to ten additional members of staff.
The sports hall, which is a new addition to the school, will not be a community facility but will be a dedicated space for pupils and staff.
The full plans are available to view on the council planning portal.
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
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