LISTEN: Almost 260-Highland pupils unable to start school term

Nearly 260-Highland pupils are missing their first day of the new term because their school is not ready to teach them.

Maintenance workers have failed to carry out repairs at Duncan Forbes Primary within the planned timescale.

And parents have taken to social media in anger at the Culloden school's delayed opening which is now due on Thursday morning, instead of today.

On the Bernadette Cosgrove posted: 'Shocking especially for working parents where do we all find childcare at such short notice.'

The local authority's top officials claim they were only told about the problem yesterday and gave warning to parents as soon as possible.

Yesterday, Highland Council's director of education Bill Alexander told MFR News: "It has only become apparent that the outstanding work to the school building is going to take longer to complete than we expected and planned for.

"Our sincere apologies go to all parents and pupils."

"We'll need to look into why we've had such late confirmation of these delays.

"We understand that there have been weather difficulties, but we weren't aware until yesterday morning of the detail."

But it has emerged that the headteacher of the school posted on the blog 'duncanforbesprimary.wordpress.com' last week that the work on the roof had "overrun".

Mrs Mackay posted: '...the work on the roof has overrun due to a number of factors...the hall roof will now be completed in the October holidays...'

ABOVE: images posted on the blog 'duncanforbesprimary.wordpress.com'

An investigation is underway to work out who is to blame for the failure.

Highland Councillor Drew Millar - who oversees education in the region said: "There seems to have been an information jam somewhere.

"We will have to find out where and why this information didn't get passed to the people responsible."

LISTEN: Highland Councillor Drew Millar tells MFR News reporter Bryan Rutherford that he is promising answers on what went wrong:

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