ASN pupils left unable to attend school for weeks due to repairs

Pupils with additional support needs (ASN) at a South Lanarkshire school have been left unable to attend classes for nearly two weeks due to repair work.

Robert Owen Memorial primary school in Lanark originally shut on 12 January due to water damage in the building.

While classes for mainstream pupils resumed two days later, many ASN pupils are still waiting on a date to return.

The local authority said the delay was due to specialist materials in the classrooms needing longer to dry and repair than in mainstream classrooms.

One ASN class has been able to resume lessons, but another three classes have not been able to resume.

Parents have been left reliant on daily updates posted by South Lanarkshire Council to tell them if classes would resume the next day or not, with a number voicing frustration on social media regarding the continuing closure.

Among their concerns are how children will re-adjust to going back to school after classes were disrupted, and the difficulty in explaining to them why they cannot attend classes while their siblings have been able to go.

Some parents said that only finding out each afternoon if classes would be back the next day or not made childcare plans very difficult.

South Lanarkshire Council said it was hoping to have pupils back by the end of the week, though a social media post on Wednesday afternoon said it was still “not yet possible” for them to return.

Other social media posts stated longer‑term remedial work was needed in some areas of the building, causing “ongoing restrictions to movement and enhanced ventilation measures” as part of the drying out process following the water damage.

A spokesman for the council said: “Pupils have returned to school on a phased basis following the initial flooding issues. The phased return has taken place following ongoing repairs and risk assessments.

“The ASN/supported classes have specialist fabrics, materials and security measures in their learning environment which have taken a bit longer to dry and repair.

“It is hoped that all remaining pupils in these classes will back in school by the end of the week.”

A number of schools across Scotland suffered issues following bad weather at the start of the year.