It's too cool for schoolkids as boiler packs up

PARENTS with children at a Victorian primary have been told to send them to school wrapped up warm after the heating system was condemned.

The ageing system at South Morningside Primary has been out of action since the October holidays after safety checks were carried out and it was considered to be unsafe for future use. Portable heaters have been brought in to heat the classrooms.

The school's headteacher sent out a letter to parents asking them to send their children to school wearing extra layers because the temporary heating units are difficult to control and pupils may need to take off as well as put on clothes.

Parents are angry that the problem is taking so long to fix and insist they have not been given any indication by the school as to how long it might take. It follows similar problems the school had with the system last winter.

One parent, who asked not to be named, said: "Last year we had problems with the heating, and the children had to go to school for a little while without any heating.

"It broke down again two or three weeks ago.

"It's an old school and the whole boiler system needs to be replaced, which is a massive job.

"The classrooms have got really small heaters in them, which you can't get any heat from if you're not sitting right beside them.

"We got a letter from the school asking us to provide our children with plenty of jumpers, gloves etc so the children can stay warm in school.

"We don't know when it's going to be repaired.

"Lots of parents are fed up and worried."

The council admitted the school does need a new boiler in the long term but said it had identified a replacement boiler that could be installed to see the school through the winter.

South Morningside Primary has had a raft of problems associated with the building.

The Evening News revealed last year that the cramped conditions in the overcrowded school were leading to pupils missing out on school lunches, vital PE lessons and lunchtime play.

Children have to queue just to get a seat in the tiny dining room, meaning those who are last in line miss out on getting time to play outside during their lunch break.

Many pupils are forced to eat their lunch in their classrooms, while demands on the gym hall mean the school fails to hit its target of providing each pupil with two hours of PE per week.

The school was given a promise earlier this year that it would be "prioritised" for a new extension but education chiefs also said there was no money and no time scale for the work to be carried out.A spokesman for the city council said: "Temporary heaters have been used to heat the school in the short term and janitors have been monitoring the temperature carefully to be sure it's at the right level.

"We expect to have a replacement boiler in place by early December."