Primary school to partly reopen after building issues uncovered by Storm Eowyn
The school closed in February after damage caused by Storm Eowyn revealed significant construction problems throughout the 17-year-old building, caused by mortar that was 'significantly deficient.'
As the scale of the defects became clear, the decision was taken in February to shut the building and decant around 500 pupils to three primary schools across the district.
Falkirk Council's director of education, Jon Reid, wrote to all parents and carers this week to tell them the arrangements for the school year starting in August.
He said the school will be able to use the new extension and existing modular units, which have been unaffected by the construction defects found throughout the main school.
In his letter, Reid confirmed that the school would not reopen until at least August 2026.
He said: 'This is clearly disappointing news, but it is essential that the building meets all necessary building standards before staff and pupils return.'
The letter also confirms that Maddiston Community Centre will be used for PE and lunch arrangements.
The extension will accommodate three Primary 1 classes and two Primary 2 classes, while one P2/3 class and two Primary 3 classes will be in the Modular Units.
Primaries 4 and 5 will go to Wallacestone Primary, and Primary 6 and 7 will be in Bantaskin Primary.
The Timezone and Inclusion class pupils will continue to attend Moray Primary and Carrongrange High School.
Reid said the arrangements 'allow us to make the best use of available facilities across our school estate, scale back the transport arrangements in place and ensure a stable and high-quality experience for all pupils and staff while working toward a full return to Maddiston.'
A report going to Falkirk Council's executive on June 19 revealed that the mortar used in the construction was 'significantly deficient, providing inadequate bonding to the surrounding stone'.
The cost is estimated to be around £5m, and the work will likely take at least a year.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
27-06-2025
- Wales Online
Emergency alert to be sent to every UK mobile phone
Emergency alert to be sent to every UK mobile phone There will be a 10-second siren and a warning message People got the first messages in 2023 The Government is to send an emergency alert to revert mobile phone in the UK, with a message taking over the screen and a loud siren sounding for 10 seconds. The alarm will come from a system that was launched in 2023 to alert people across the country to immediate threats. According to the Sun, this will be a nationwide test of the system - designed to tell people if they are at risk of everything from extreme weather to disease and war. The message will read: "Severe Alert. This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby. "In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action.", reports the Express. An Emergency Alert from the UK government During the 2023 test, people reported the alarm being loud' and frightening. The test signal will be sent later this year on a date to be set, and will be tested every two years to make sure it is still working. Article continues below A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "This system is not designed to cause panic, but to ensure people are aware of imminent threats and can act test is part of building national resilience and saving lives in future crises." The system has already been used in real-world situations. Earlier this year four million people got an alert ahead of Storm Eowyn smashing into the UK. Three million were sent a message ahead of Storm Darragh in 2024. Roger Hargreaves, director of the Cobra emergencies committee unit at the Cabinet Office, told MPs in 2023: 'It is international standard practice to do regular test messages. I think there is a case for doing it every two years, but we haven't got a ministerial decision on that. Every two years is what we would probably advise ministers but we're yet to get a view on that.'
Daily Record
25-06-2025
- Daily Record
New start for Grangemouth community hall as Falkirk Council agrees sale for £1
The hall was actually boarded up when a group of volunteers came together to save it. A community hall that was the first to be boarded up by Falkirk Council as part of its major review of properties is making the final move into community ownership. Just ten months ago, Beancross & Newlands Community Hall in Grangemouth was closed by Falkirk Council - to the dismay of local residents who had fond memories of parties, dances and bingo in the once busy hall. Last week, however, the council executive agreed that the hall in Montgomery Street - now known as the Sealock Centre - should be sold to the community for £1. Crucially, the council will also give them an enabling grant of £200,000, which will help them modernise and improve the building - including its roof and the hall ceiling - making it more accessible, user-friendly and energy efficient. It's been a "whirlwind" time for the volunteer members of Sealock Infinity, the charity that was set up just last year to run the hall. The new name, they say, is to make very clear that this is a new management committee, starting from scratch after the building was closed to the public. The volunteers have had to attend meetings and training courses, write a solid business plan and work hard to get lets that are helping cover costs such as heating, lighting and insurance. But with no money in the bank, they've also found themselves cleaning, moving furniture, painting, ripping out toilets, demolishing walls and basically anything else that needed done. Falkirk Council has estimated that the work done over a year by the volunteers would cost nearly £100,000 if paying staff to do it, while it will also be saving annual running costs of £15,810. In a condition survey of the building, the council has also estimated that the total backlog of maintenance would be £346,040. "We cleared out three and a half tonnes of rubbish in the first week," says Lynne Park, who became involved when she realised the building was under threat of closure. She knew how upset local people were when the building closed and how worried people were that the empty building would become an eyesore. "When the boards came off - the amount of messages we got from people, they were just so happy to see it!" she said. It's been quite a journey since last March, when Sandy Forsyth hastily called a meeting to ask who would be interested in saving the centre. Sandy said: "We started with nothing - absolutely nothing. We didn't even have a mop!" But the building has a large hall that very quickly attracted regular lets which give them enough of an income to cover bills, when they took on a full repair and insuring licence in order to reopen. Bookings now include everything from Kung Fu to yoga, while regulars include Unite Scotland Kinneil Band and Forth Valley Budgerigar Society. A smaller, bright room in the upper floor is also well used for things such as yoga classes and One Parent Families groups. Once the diary started filling up, one of the first things the group did was install a new door entry system and cameras which allows them to control security remotely. But they have plans to do much more. With weekday evenings booked solid for the main hall, they want to transform two smaller rooms into a more useable space. They also want to see more day time lets and to make the hall a welcoming place for people of all ages. The next project will be turning a large toilet into a community cafe, with funding from Falkirk Council's community choices, while another will become a games room with pool and darts. "It's been a huge amount of work to get to this stage," says Sandy. While the process has been tiring and at times been frustrating they are very grateful to Paul Kettrick and the other Falkirk Council staff who helped make it happen. Sandy also says they could not have done it without support from CVS Falkirk, which offers regular training and advice. Their next task is to get more volunteers to help them put their plans in place and having come this far they are confident they can succeed. "We've got lots of ideas!" said Sandy. "Getting the community asset transfer is really just the beginning!"
The Herald Scotland
14-06-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Son of Scottish butcher who became visionary boss of British Rail
Died: May 28, 2025 Sir Bob Reid, who has died aged 91, had a serious accident when he was nine years old that completely changed his life. He was in his father's butcher's shop in Cupar when the mincing machine stopped and he tried to restart it. 'It restarted with a jolt, gripped and bit into my fingers and pulled me down, the blades chewing upward towards me,' he recalled. He was taken to Dundee Royal Infirmary where a surgeon operated on him. Reid had to face life without the use of his right arm. Resilience, courage and an ability to adapt governed the rest of his life. After learning to write left-handed in ten days - 'not beautifully, but adequately' - he faced his major challenge and became a single-figure handicap one-armed golfer. Robert Paul Reid was born in Cupar, the younger son of a butcher. During the Second World War his father was in the Home Guard while his mother worked in the local military command office. He attended Bell-Baxter Academy, now Bell Baxter High School, where he was head boy, played rugby and was an excellent student. But his love of golf played a significant part of his youth. By his mid-teens he was winning junior championships and wrote, 'Passion is too weak a word. Golf is not a relaxation, golf is everything, golf is a philosophy, it's a religion, I mean really absolutely.' He studied political economy at St Andrews University, won a golf blue and continued his studies at the European Business School in London. At university he met and married Joan Oram in 1958. His first posting in the oil industry was to Borneo then Australia but in 1985 he returned to London and was appointed chief executive of Shell UK coping in 1989 with a fracture in a Shell oil refinery underwater pipeline in the Mersey. The spill of 150 tons caused a public outcry but Reid dealt with the matter with a canny understanding. When Reid was made chairman he was responsible for all Shell UK's production, refineries and was much involved with the company's North Sea oil explorations. Read more In 1990 he was offered the chair of BR – it is thought the job had been offered to many other businessmen – but he believed he could bring his business experience to an industry which had been unsuccessfully restructured by successive governments. He saw the creation of the Channel Tunnel connection with France as a positive change for the entire rail industry in the UK. But he had to combat constant battles with the Blair and Major governments over money. There were fraught discussions about industrial disputes and the savage increase in fares which made for an unhappy first few months. The winter was also harsh and commuters, staff and politicians were grumbling about the service. Reid argued that the trains should run on time, be safe and give a good service. But he soon had to negotiate with the government for more money. 'As long as we get the money,' he said, 'we can make it better. The government has got to give us more money.' In 1992 the return of the Conservatives under John Major put the rail industry in a totally fresh position as the government planned to privatise the industry. Their scheme – with Railtrack in charge of the tracks and signalling, and the train services divided between operating companies – was never ideal in Reid's opinion. Sir Bob Reid (Image: PA) His time at BR was not altogether happy and it was no surprise that in 1995 he resigned when he was sidelined by a new rail regulator. But Reid left BR in a better state than he found it. The finances were stabilised and almost healthy, industrial relations were much improved and there was a far greater efficiency throughout the industry. The BR staff who affectionately nicknamed him 'the one-armed bandit' had achieved much. On leaving BR he became chairman of Sears Holdings, and deputy governor of the Bank of Scotland. In 1999 he was instrumental in revitalising the International Petroleum Exchange and helping it some years later to be handsomely floated on the New York stock exchange. Reid was a man of much charisma, drive and energy. His business acumen was sharp and he preserved an informal presence in even the most tense situation. He was the first chancellor of Robert Gordon University and was awarded honorary degrees from Aberdeen, Heriot Watt and St Andrews. He remained a passionate golfer all his life and amongst other clubs was a member of the R&A. He was also a keen opera lover and served on the boards of several musical institutions such as the London Mozart Players. His wife Joan died in 2017 and he is survived by their sons, Douglas, Paul and Michael. ALASDAIR STEVEN At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact
