Primary school evacuated after killer asbestos discovered in walls

A SCOTTISH primary school has been closed until at least Monday after asbestos was found in the building.

Pupils at Edinburgh’s Flora Stevenson Primary School, in the Stockbridge area, were evacuated in mid-morning yesterday after the substance was discovered in the walls during routine work.

It is understood that the asbestos had been disturbed while builders were installing a door.

The 447 pupils were taken to Broughton High School where they waited until their parents, who were contacted via text message, came to collect them.

Pupils whose parents were unable to come to the school remained at Broughton with teachers for the rest of the school day.

Mike Rosendale, the council’s head of schools, said that a “small quantity of asbestos” had been disturbed, but that the health and safety of pupils was of “paramount importance”, so the decision had been taken to evacuate all pupils as a precaution.

The school’s nursery, which is housed in a separate building, remained open. Following a further inspection of the building, Mr Rosendale, said last night that the property had been deemed safe to re-enter:

“An independent inspection was carried out this afternoon and has indicated that the building is safe. A full clean will now take place with the aim of re-opening the school on Monday.

“We would like to thank all parents and staff for their co-operation and assistance.”

A council spokeswoman said that a final decision as to when the school will be opened would be made today and parents would be informed as soon as possible. Though asbestos is now known to be potentially harmful if inhaled, the material had previously been widely used as an insulator in older buildings.

One parent, who asked not to be identified, said they had not been told what the problem was when they arrived to pick up their children: “I didn’t ask to be honest. I just picked up my child. It was very orderly, you were called in depending on your year group and just checking with the teacher to pick your child.”

She added that she was “not overly concerned” by the discovery and was sure the school would explain the circumstances in the near future.

Hugh Duffy, a member of the school’s parent council, expressed similar confidence: “I’m quite involved with the parent council, so I trust them. If they say it’s not safe, then it’s not safe.

“We’ve had days where ceilings have collapsed, toilets have been flooded, all sorts of things over the years, and we’ve just always known that they’ve got the kids’ interests at heart.”

The work had been undertaken outside of school hours, but the problem was raised after a morning inspection.