FURIOUS PARENTS OF children at East End Primary school in Elgin have been contacting insideMoray today to protest over conversion work being carried out ahead of a decision being taken on if it is required.
Councillors will discuss the splitting of the school in two as a temporary measure ahead of the building of a new school in around two years.
However, conversion work began at the school on Monday – creating what parents described as a “highly dangerous situation”.
Parents had also been warned last week that one entry to the school would be blocked off today as preparatory work began to prepare the school for it being split.
However, as trucks and workmen arrived they coincided with the launch on the school playground of the new ‘Daily Mile’ initiative – for which the playground was being marked off by a second set of workers.
One parent contacted insideMoray to say: “It was something of a farce – both the entrance and exit to the school was blocked off and there was no forewarning of this at all. We were unable to get into the school to pick up our children – there was a note saying to parents that the gate to the former Heritage Centre would be blocked, but it was the entire car park that was blocked.
“Traffic was backed up all the way to the Council buildings and I’m aware that several parents called the local authority to complain about what was happening.”
Another parent reported that the streets around the school had become gridlocked as confused parents tried various ways of leaving the area, saying: “It soon became gridlocked and this increased the danger to children trying to walk the narrow pavements alongside – it was utter chaos.
“There was an accident where two cars collided outside the school and that, in my view, was caused by parents being unable to move one way or another. The entire situation was simply unacceptable and if this is an example of the safety considerations being put to the changes being made to the school then someone needs to take another good, long, hard look.”
Councillors will discuss the consultation process at the children and young people’s services committee tomorrow, when they are expected to give the go-ahead to the already under way alterations to East End Primary and building of a new school at Linkwood Road.
