Edinburgh schools won't all re-open until August

The 17 Edinburgh PFI schools closed for repair works after storm-damage will not all re-open until August, the council has announced.

Seven of the affected schools will be re-opened by June, but the remaining ten will not re-open until August.

Edinburgh Schools Partnership (ESP), the PFI consortium that operates the schools, is overseeing the remediation works.

The timetable is subject to the council receiving quality and safety assurances from ESP and the contractors carrying out the works.

Last month it emerged ESP had had £1.5m in monthly fees withheld while the schools are being repaired.

Edinburgh City Council said over 4,000 pupils will be able to return to their schools before the end fo the summer term.

Amey and Miller Construction, which was bought by Galliford Try in 2014, will carry out the remedial works.

Amey will carry out repairs on 13 schools, which were built by an Amey/Miller Construction joint venture and are known as phase one of the PFI contract. Construction of the schools in phase one started in 2001 and was completed in 2003.

Galliford Try will be responsible for remedial works on the remaining four schools, known as phase two and which were completed in 2005.

The firm has a contractual responsibility to carry out repairs on the four schools as they are still covered by the 12-year defects period in the firm’s original contract.

Amey has been subcontracted by the PFI consortium for the repairs to phase one, but does not have any contractual responsibility to do so as the defects period for the first phase has passed.

Amey and Miller Construction won a £360m PFI contract to build and maintain the schools in 2001 as part of ESP. But both firms have since sold their stakes in the partnership, which is now owned by investment funds including 3i and John Laing Infrastructure.