Schools across Tayside and Fife were forced to send home pupils after being hit by a series of heating failures on Monday morning.
Almost 1,000 pupils were affected at Forfar Academy after a heating problem at the showpiece school within the town’s new community campus on Monday morning.
Four schools were also closed in Fife on the first day of the new term. Two schools in Dundee were also affected.
Madras College’s South Street campus, Buckhaven Primary and Pitcoudie Primary were shut due to “heating problems”, while water issues also closed Kilmaron School.
Convener of Fife Council’s education and children’s services committee Fay Sinclair said all of the region’s schools would reopen on Tuesday.
She added: “Obviously with the severe weather it can have an impact on pipes an particularly over the holidays where heating has not been on.
“I think that is why we have seen a number of these. It is the sub-zero temperatures that has caused it. The schools will be open as normal on Tuesday.
“Lack of heating” also meant pupils could not attend Dundee’s Braeview Academy.
Staff tweeted: “School closed to pupils today due to lack of heating. Parents have been sent a text message. School will be open as usual tomorrow.
“Pupils whose parents are unable to make arrangements for them will be supervised in school today.”
School closed to pupils today due to lack of heating. Parents have been sent a text message. School will be open as usual tomorrow.
Pupils whose parents are unable to make arrangements for them will be supervised in school today.— Braeview Academy (@BraeviewAcademy) January 8, 2018
Braeview Academy will be open as usual tomorrow. (Tuesday) The heating is now back on.
We look forward to seeing all pupils back to school tomorrow. Please re-tweet and spread the word.
Apologies to all for the inconvenience today.— Braeview Academy (@BraeviewAcademy) January 8, 2018
And St John’s RC High School was also forced to send S1-S4 pupils home due to a “heating system failure”.
UPDATE: A Dundee City Council spokeswoman said both city schools would be “open as normal” on Tuesday.
https://twitter.com/StJohnsOfficial/status/950342909718654977
Heating Engineers have completed the repair, school will be open tomorrow as normal.
— St John's RC HS (@StJohnsOfficial) January 8, 2018
In Forfar, youngsters were at their desks for little over an hour when the decision was taken to send all the pupils home.
Engineers are understood to be investigating what the council has described as “heating issues”.
School closure. More details at https://t.co/iEHgDAxuol
— Angus Council (@AngusCouncil) January 8, 2018
Pupils reported “freezing classrooms” at the school, which is part of the award-winning £39 million community campus opened almost a year ago.
The facility also includes community leisure facilities, including the town’s new swimming pool. Those are understood to be unaffected by the heating problem.
Angus Council said pupils were being sent home at 10.45 am, with transport arranged for all entitled pupils.
UPDATE: Forfar Academy is also due to welcome all students back tomorrow.
