North West Campus: Maxwelltown High School pressed back into use

The new campus in Dumfries is currently closed on safety grounds

A closed school is to be reopened to provide temporary classrooms for pupils affected by the closure of a brand new campus on safety grounds.

Maxwelltown High shut in the summer and students moved to the £28m North West Community Campus in Dumfries.

However, the new facility was closed shortly after it opened after incidents in which staff and pupils were hurt.

Work will now be carried out over the October holidays to bring the old secondary school back into use.

The details have been outlined in a newsletter to parents and follow increasing anger about the level of disruption being faced by pupils - particularly those working towards exams.

At a meeting organised earlier this week concerns were voiced about children having to travel to schools in other parts of the town and the impact it was having on their education.

'Minimise disruption'

Many called for temporary classrooms to be established closer to the community.

In response, Dumfries and Galloway Council's Chief Executive Gavin Stevenson has now asked for the existing arrangements to be reviewed and all alternative options appraised.

As a first step the former Maxwelltown High School complex will be used to provided space for teaching practical subjects to S1 to S3 pupils.

The newsletter added that it would allow senior phase pupils back into the community "on a planned basis to suit the timetable and minimise disruption".

In the meantime a repair programme is continuing at the North West Community Campus which was closed just weeks after opening following a series of health and safety incidents involving fixtures and fittings.

The complex will remain shut until at least January.