Fears for staff as partnership school contractor hits wall

MAINTENANCE staff at one of Scotland's first public-private partnership schools face uncertainty after its contractor went into administration.

Jarvis Plc, which built Balfron High School in 2001, is responsible for servicing and maintaining the building as well as catering.

The firm, best-known for rail maintenance, went into administration on 25 March. Stirling Council said the issue will not affect pupils or teachers.

According to the initial agreement, the school was due to become the property of the local authority in 2027.

However, a council spokeswoman said the situation was unclear and was in lawyers' hands.

In a statement, the local authority said: "The council is in discussions with the administrator appointed to oversee the current situation at Jarvis.

"The council's priority is to ensure continuity of services to Balfron High and Balfron Primary School."

Phil Bowers, Deloitte partner and joint administrator, said the firm was not in a position to comment on specific contracts.

He added: "We have received significant interest in the Jarvis Accommodation Services (JAS) business and are working closely with all the key stakeholders to seek to reach solutions on all contracts over the next few weeks."