Safety checks at 17 Edinburgh schools after further defects found at Oxgangs primary

Safety checks are to be carried out at 17 Edinburgh schools following the discovery of structural defects at Oxgangs Primary.

It comes after a recent survey of the school sparked by two incidents in February and March where parts of the roofing or ceiling became loose or fell off. Those inspections uncovered issues with the roofing of the school.

Work is currently taking place there and pupils are expected to be able to return to class after the current Easter break on April 17.

Further surveys will now need to be carried out at 16 more schools in the capital, to establish where they too have the same problems. That is expected to start next week.

An external wall collapsed at Oxgangs Primary in January 2016, which led to the Edinburgh schools crisis where 17 schools were closed for weeks in order for repairs to take place.

An inquiry into the crisis found the buildings had been poorly developed by contractors and blamed the body responsible for the construction, the Edinburgh Schools Partnership.