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School's out as tap floods crumbling Porty High



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Published Date: 06 May 2008
By GEMMA FRASER
HUNDREDS of pupils were today sent home from a run-down city high school after a serious flood. First, second and third year pupils turned up at Portobello High School this morning to be told classes could not go ahead because of the damage.
An investigation was under way after it emerged the flood was caused by a tap left running over the weekend.

Repairs were today being carried out but it is not yet known whether the school will be able to reopen this week.

The tap was left running on the sixth floor of the eight-storey 1960s tower block, was discovered this morning by the school's janitors.

The full extent of the damage has not been revealed, however it is understood to be extensive, with water spreading through to the floors beneath.

Senior pupils – who are currently on study leave – were able to sit exams today in make-shift exam halls.

Portobello High School is on the city's council's redevelopment programme but plans to rebuild it have been continually delayed due to funding issues.

Pupils and teachers put together a DVD earlier this year to convince politicians about the desperate need to replace the ageing building.

Its head boy Declan Slaven described going to school there like "learning in a prison".

Parent council member Willie Wilson, whose son is in second year at the school, said: "The first I heard about this was when my son arrived home this morning.

"At the moment we don't know the cause, we don't know if it's vandalism or if it's an accident.

"I hope it's not a sign of things to come."

George Sharp, whose grandson sat an exam in the school today, said: "They had to move the exams out of the exam room and into elsewhere in the building because of the flooding.

"I was very angry when I heard because of all the publicity there's been about Portobello falling to bits.

"It's not conducive to sit exams in those conditions."

Parents also feared this morning that some exams may have to be cancelled, but the school insists they are all going ahead as scheduled.

A city council spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that there has been some flooding at Portobello High School over the holiday weekend.

"The cause of the flooding was a tap left running, which is being investigated. Work is being carried out to make repairs as necessary and exams are continuing as normal for senior students.

"Pupils from S1 to S3 have been sent home and a decision will be taken later today as to when all pupils can return to school."


The full article contains 446 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 06 May 2008 1:47 PM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Schools in Edinburgh
 
1

Sumpplareasswholes,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 13:43:56
PHS has been crumbling for years and the council have done SFA about it!
The pupils will be okay a their exams if they studied properly and dont use this as an excuse. They should think themselves lucky that they havent had their lessons disrupted like we did back in the mid 80's due to the strike.
The teachers at the school on the main are excellent and should be congratulated for coping to teach in the conditions.
Perhaps PHS could have been rebuilt if the Parliament Building hadnt run over in costs by £400m.
Edinburgh MSP's hang your head in SHAME!!
2

,

06/05/2008 13:47:11
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
3

,

06/05/2008 13:56:00
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
4

Philip Thompson,

Morningside 06/05/2008 16:01:22
This is what happens when local councils are dominated by Liberal/Labour/SNP. These parties claim to look out for the interests of the average person but these parties don't wish to invest money in something worthwhile and what can be more worthwhile than making sure that future generations are given the best possible start in life with a good education? Having such poor facilities which provide an inadequate environment for learning is not a good start. Building a new school takes time, even if building work were to start now by the time it's completed the current building will be in an even worse state or may have been condemned meaning children will be split from their friends and distributed to already over-crowded school across the city.

Why not put a hold on all new glamour concepts like fancy glass coverings for haymarket and build a modern state-of-the-art school. Don't do it on borrowed money or through some sort of PFI scheme which means it gets paid for 200x over just so we can 'balance the books' in the short-term. The current labour government has built this nation on a mountain of debt by robbing this generation as well as future generations just so they could keep themselves in power. Lessons need to be learned from such terrible practices and we, as a nation, should make sure that it can never be allowed to happen again.

I know that Labour aren't in control of the local council and that it's SNP/Liberal but I see no clear distinction between these three parties and how they manage things on a local or national level. The conservatives spent the 1980's cleaning up the mess caused by the labour administration of the 1970's. It looks like the 2010's will be another tough decades. Let's just hope that this time around the nation are informed/intelligent enough to recognise who's at fault.

Let's hope the council stop spending large sums of money on expenses, fancy banquets, feasibility studies, CCTV cameras, trams and various other ridiculous and
5

SchoolKid44,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 16:02:55
As a pupil at Portobello, the exam hall is not "make shift". The assembly hall is always used for exams, and if people require extra time, a scribe or a reader, they get it in other classrooms. It just so happens the classrooms they were in were affected by the flood. Most pupils sitting SG English at the school today would not of been affected by this. Plus, the SNP and Lib Dems should not be getting the blame for this situation at Portobello and no new school. Blame the previous Labour council for blowing the budget!

This is not an every day occurence at Portobello. Let's face it, the way the EEN makes it out the building is crumbling beneath our feet. This is not the case, and with improvements Portobello would be just as good a school as a new one.
6

SchoolKid44,

06/05/2008 16:08:00
I agree with most things you say Phillip Thompson, but inadequate facilities? The school has great resources for all subjects. The majority of classrooms are in good working conditions, and although some PE classes go to Jack Kane, not all of the classes do. With the new astroturf, nearly no classes will need to go to Jack Kane centre. Portobello are much better off than some schools, with great resources and facitlities.
7

Stevie Mac,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 16:24:17
Now is not the time for blame we need action. The largest school in Edinburgh has been brought to its knees by a running tap- that ths fact of the matter.

Who is to say that this will not happen again and again?
8

Life of a Liberal?,

Portobello 06/05/2008 16:31:16
SchoolKid44

Take a look at the new Castlebrae or Holyrood or many others to give a comparison to Portobello High.

Or.... are you the Park Action group in disguise.
You have got to stop doing this.
9

SchoolKid44,

06/05/2008 16:33:20
I'm not blaming anyone just giving my view of months of built up frustration at this paper for false reporting. Making a mountain out of a mole hill helps no noe. Secondly, one running tap can't cause the amount of damage that is inside the school.
10

SchoolKid44,

06/05/2008 16:37:21
Life of a Liberal?

I am not a member of the Park Action group for a kick off. I don't deny the school needs improving, but it isn't in that bad a state. Total refurbishment and I am sure the school would be a much better place.
11

siomardaz ,

edin.. 06/05/2008 16:39:07
how was the running tap not noticed by the school cleaners on friday afternoon??????
12

Philip Thompson,

Morningside 06/05/2008 16:59:42
SchoolKid44, if you really are a pupil then you'll know the state of the school better than the rest of us who only have the less than reliable reporting of the EEN to go on. I would also be inclined to agree with you that the previous Labour administration are more to blame for blowing the budget than the current SNP/Liberal council.
13

vote them out,

06/05/2008 17:06:34
No Brainer -
Fit taps that automatically turn off in all schools. This saves the precious commodity of water and prevents potential damage to the school building.
14

SchoolKid44,

06/05/2008 17:08:41
The school isn't in as bad a state as being made out, but it is in a bit of a mess. It is not as bad as is being made out by the EEN. However, as said I really don't see the only solution being a brand new school. Revamping the old building would be much quicker and cost effective.

The argument here is not over the building though. I just don't see how one tap caused the extent of damage that is on several of the floors of the building.
15

djdjpaul,

Dundee 06/05/2008 17:17:01
Edinburgh children are getting more stupid by the day.
They are never at school these days due to problems. I have friends in Edinburgh who are very far behind on their education due to the fact they are never at school.
Edinburgh really need to get a grip and build a descent school that will not fall apart and be open all year round.
16

Philip Thompson,

Morningside 06/05/2008 17:28:59
#15

I would say that the standards of education and the fabric of the school buildings are very much in descent.
17

Stevie Mac,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 17:43:23
Schoolkid44 seems to be evading the fact that due to a water escape issue at the largest school in edinburgh the whole place has been brought to its knees. Mind you he has at least picked up some knowledge who could argue with his assertion that; "Total refurbishment and I am sure the school would be a much better place." -

Anyway back to the real issue. its up the Lib Dems/SNP to sort this. If all they are offering is "blame Labour" ala Philip Thomson then there is not much hope for the children of this city's future, is there?

18

Geekazoid,

Willowbrae 06/05/2008 17:44:20
I went to PHS until very recently and I have to disagree with 44-
Porty high school is an utter disgrace and has been ever since it was built- what kind of ridiculous architect designed an 8 floor building in a sea of bungalows? The lifts never work and if they do they only go to the seventh floor which doesn't really give diabled kids much option of takiing geography. The reason the flood happened is beacuse the art department sinks were probably blocked as usual.
Revamping the old building is just not an option- it would just fall apart again. It's not the condition of the building that's the problem but the layout. And to say the school has adequate resources is ridiculous- I left because they couldn't provide a teacher for me to do advanced higher french so I have to spend three hours a day on the bus to stevenson to do it.
When this happened to my house (yes, we went on holiday and came back to the same situation), we were moved out for five months while the ceilings, floors and foundations were repaired.
And Philip Thompson- The east of edinburgh consistently votes for lib dem, labour or SNP just to keep the tories out. So we shan't complain if we vote for them.
19

Stevie Mac,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 17:48:02
The Kids good - " Revamping the old building would be much quicker and cost effective."

How does he know so much at such a young age? Especially when all the experts say that a revamp would cost the council at least £25M more.

I feel the sorry for the 900 or so S1, S2 and S3 children who will miss at least a whole weeks schooling. With no guarantee against future disruptions. I can only imagine how annoyed, frustrated and concerned their parents and guardians will be.
20

Geekazoid,

willowbrae 06/05/2008 17:52:33
How does he know so much?
Because they ram this information down our throats so we can become little campaigners for the schools cause.
21

RecentEXPupil,

Porty 06/05/2008 18:23:15
I have recently left Portobello High School and utterley disagree with Schoolkid44's comment

'The school isn't in as bad a state as being made out, but it is in a bit of a mess. It is not as bad as is being made out by the EEN. However, as said I really don't see the only solution being a brand new school. Revamping the old building would be much quicker and cost effective'.

If you are a so called current pupil at Porty. You have either been spending to much time in the learning support department or too little.
22

Philip Thompson,

Morningside 06/05/2008 18:28:20
#17, I never said blame Labour and let SNP/Lib Dems off the hook. Labour are to blame but by not taking prompt action the SNP/Lim Dems are also equally to blame. They need to stop sitting thinking about it whilst the school gets into a worse state and just get on with a replacement.
23

Edinburgh's Leith All Stars,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 19:06:58
As pupil i can say that there is serious water damage on floors 6,5,4 and less serious damage on 3,2,1. computers, work, ect has all been thrown out and pupils won't be allowed back in until monday the earliest
24

Stevie Mac,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 20:01:19
Apologies to Philip Thomson I have now re-read your intial comments. I think its fair to say that Labour did a good job getting all party support to build the school in the park. It is unquestionably the right thing, not just for portobello but for the entire city.

Where things started to get delayed was when the SNP abandoned any form of central government borrowing. There has not been a a single new school commisioned anywhere in Scotland during their reign. City Of Edinburgh Council has got enough money to relocate Portobello but is scared to commit due to political pressures from other constituencies. Meanwhile we have 900 kids off school.
25

Eve...=D,

Portobello 06/05/2008 20:20:23
i go to porty an i'm in 3rd year
:(
i have my maths exams next tuesday
i dont want the school to close down
it may be really trampy ,but i love it
thanks to those 8 floors i am alot more healthy :)

but it is true ,everyone stuffs chewing gum and paper aand anything they can find down the plugs in chemistry :/
or it could be all the fag ends down the toilets :/


the teaching is fine so long as you ACTUALLY WANT TO LEARN
26

Edinburgh's Leith All Stars,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 20:33:39
Im in 3rd year too :D

porty is fine, its the scummy neds that go there that ruin it..

badly damaged now
27

FrazW,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 20:57:01
I am in 5th year at this school and I am am really disapointed about this inncodent. This flood could not have come at at a worse time as I have got Highers to sit in a week. Today I must of missed like 3 hours of work due to this because I couldnt get into classrooms. I had to make up for this at home. I really feel for the alot of the teachers as their stuff is competely ruined.

The fact is that this school is not suitable for a decent education. It is too tall and everyday pupils have to treck up to the 8th floor for Geography, which is time consuming.

I'd really like 2 new schools built as their are far too many pupils that attend. 1450 pupils plus 3 main stairs equals massive crushes and people can seriously get hurt. Building 2 new schools would be ideal for pupils as it can prevent these occurances.

It obvioulsly shows that we are in desperate need in a new school.
28

FrazW,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 21:05:19
I forgot to mention some classrooms are in decent condition, it's just the way it was layed out.

Also, I have to agree that the teachers are great and provide a great service.
29

rs,

in ma house 06/05/2008 21:58:13
very misleading headline but that journalism.

from 1975 to 2007 (bar 4 years of the Torys), which party was in power?

Whats happened to all the School Maintenance and New Build money.

And dont blame the Tories for the last 10 years.

£450m for a parliament building!

30

marvinacme,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 22:15:48
I left Portobello in 2005 and must agree that it is in dire need of a new building. It's fine for the kids that make an effort and want to learn but the atmosphere does nothing for the motivation of those who don't. When I attended, we were sent home two or three times thanks to burst water pipes and other kinds of structural damage. Am I right in assuming it's still on the fire dept's list of the most unsafe buildings in the city? Almost two thousand working there and only three fire exits from the main building. I am glad to be shot of the place and feel a great deal of sympathy for the pupils and staff who still face this looming spectre of 1960s technology every morning.
31

Portobello Pupil,

06/05/2008 22:39:33
Just a link:
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/School39s-out-as--tap.4053502.jp
32

Portobello Pupil,

06/05/2008 22:40:39
Information on closure available here:

http://www.portobello.edin.sch.uk/ImportantInformation.html
33

AlexofEdinburgh,

Edinburgh 06/05/2008 23:15:31
I'm a pupil at Portobello who gets the joy of attending school despite the floodings. S5 wins, eh :/

Where did all the Conservative fanboyism arise from? I think they'd've screwed it up just as badly, it's only that they didn't because nobody voted for them. kek. In any case, I doubt it's appropriate right now to show how much you love the Tories when I'm failing five Highers in a week (woot).

Teachers lost a lot of work and I feel bad for them. The tap thing was an obvious effect of the mini-skyscraper design flaw. I totally agree with Fraz's idea of having 2 schools as I can't imagine one single site that would be able to cater to all of the current pupils without causing major problems.

I'd like to think that the Council would tear the old school down, but they won't. Being a fifth year, I started my time at Portobello High School in 2003. This was a well known issue at that time. My father went to Portobello High School starting in 1977 and from what he tells me they needed a new building. Thanks Conservative government, thanks Labour government, thanks SNP/Lib Dem government.

I'd like to vote NEE to all of you useless sods.
34

Geekazoid,

Willowbrae 06/05/2008 23:49:24
Yeah, one school for the type of kids who would have left the tap on, and another for the ones who care.

What's voting NEE?
35

Mr Fuzzy,

Edinburgh 07/05/2008 00:54:33
#18
It's better than having a school on two buildings a couple of streets apart. Then you end up losing 15 minutes of each lesson just waiting for everyone to arrive, and worry about what tricks are going to be carried out (paint bombs, string spray, snowballs to name but a few).

It's not just Edinburgh - every Scottish city has schools built in the 70's which need to be upgraded.

#13, #15
The plonkers who did this would just find a way of jamming the tap down and blocking the plughole. Probably someone who got a telling off and wanted to get back at the school. This kind of thing happened 25 years ago.
36

school_ON_SITE,

portobello 07/05/2008 01:14:56
The reason Portobello High is not being rebuilt like Hollyrood

EEE...DDD....III
E........D....D.....I
EE.....D.....D....I
E........D....D.....I
EEE...DDD....III


EDI Group Welcome to The EDI Group Limited (EDI). EDI is a property development and investment business, based in Scotland. Established in 1988 by the City of Edinburgh Council, EDI is a private company ...

www.edigroupscotland.co.uk/


The council wanted to sell the Park to build houses and fund two school.

PPP2 almost delivered but was sabotaged

Note to Editor
Do your research and check it out
37

Philip Thompson,

Morningside 07/05/2008 01:39:41
#33

Maybe when you're older you'll learn that the Conservatives have a very good reputation at local Government level which is one of the reasons why they've just done so well in the local elections in England & Wales. The problem with Scottish voters is they've been conditioned to vote in a certain way - and it's rarely influenced by knowledge or reasoning.
38

paulett,

perth australia 07/05/2008 01:54:40
While attending the school in the eighty's and early ninety's it was given a mini facelift then, not that made much difference.It is the most stupidly designed building, a multi-story school, with lifts that never worked or from memories, not for student use. Think of the lost time the students loose going between classes and floors.
39

Edinburgh's Leith All Stars,

My bed =( 07/05/2008 11:31:10
#38 they only loose time if they want to, i can do it fine
40

SchoolKid44,

07/05/2008 17:38:06
Geekazoid

Couldn't do AH French? I know 5 people who are doing the subject at the school. That has no relelvance what so ever to the argument. plus, you'll find the tap wasn't left on. It was probably sabotaged by a pupil thinking it would be a great laugh to do that sort of thing. Those are the type of people there should be seperate schools for - those who don't want to learn and those who do!
41

Geekazoid,

willowbrae 13/05/2008 00:19:43
When I chose the subject only me and one other pupil had chosen it- I was told that I would only be recieving one hour of teaching a week for an AH. I was in the same situation for AH Spanish. That's why I left and I don't regret it in the slightest.
42

marvinacme,

13/05/2008 21:25:41
German classes were cut when I went into sixth year, and I had to fight along with the rest of the pupil's who'd passed Higher German to sit Advanced Higher. I know it's not relevant to this story but I really hope the school aren't bailing out on foreign languages altogether. I'm sick of the view that 'everyone speaks English anyway'.
43

marvinacme,

13/05/2008 21:26:29
school ISN'T bailing out. Excuse me.

 

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