New Dumfries school to stay shut until next year

The campus was forced to shut on safety grounds just weeks after it opened

A £28m school complex in Dumfries is to remain closed until at least the start of next year.

The North West Community Campus was forced to shut on safety grounds just weeks after it opened in August.

It followed incidents involving fixtures and fittings which saw two pupils and one staff member hurt.

Dumfries and Galloway Council leader Elaine Murray said it was hoped to have pupils back into the school in January after remedial works were completed.

Contractor Graham and the project development body Hub South West are expected to complete the work in December.

Timeline: The North West Community Campus

Pupils will not return to the £28m site until January at the earliest

8 November 2016 - Work officially begins on the multi-million pound project to replace Lochside and St Ninian's primary schools, Langlands special secondary school and Maxwelltown High School.

25 July 2018 - An investigation is carried out into the cause of a leak in the building just weeks before it opens.

21 August 2018 - The campus opens to pupils.

24 August 2018 - The school is shut just days later after a child was hit by a door.

28 August 2018 - The facility reopens after safety checks.

7 September 2018 - The campus is closed indefinitely after a pupil is struck by a smart board.

3 October 2018 - The opening of a nearby learning hub is also put on hold.

The school was shut in September after the council said it had "lost confidence" in assurances it had received about the site.

A subsequent report identified more than 1,000 "issues" with the building.

Students at the new facility now look set to be accommodated in other schools in the town for at least the remainder of this year.

Ms Murray said the situation was "very disappointing" at a time when senior pupils would be preparing for prelim exams.

'Rebuild confidence'

"The council will try to do all we can to support those pupils to get as good results as they possibly can," she said.

She said she hoped the latest timetable for returning to the campus would be delivered by Hub South West.

"It will be quite a job for us to rebuild confidence in the building," she added.

"It is very regrettable and the council apologises for the problems there have been with this building."