School holds lessons in cold classrooms after heating breakdown

Pupils in a Renfrewshire school have been taught in cold classrooms after the building's heating broke down.

Classes at Gryffe High in Houston are claimed to have taken place with temperatures under 16C which is below the suggested guidelines for heat given by the Health and Safety Executive.

One person who contacted BBC Scotland News claimed some staff and pupils had resorted to wearing outdoor clothes throughout the lessons.

Renfrewshire Council said that while there had been issues with heating, classes were now operating normally. A spokesperson added that it was felt it best to keep pupils in school as temperatures rose during the day.

Portable heaters were provided by the local authority to try and improve the situation, which is believed to have been caused by a leak in the school's heating system.

Two other schools in the area - Renfrew High and a primary school - are understood to also be affected by low temperatures in the region.

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) raised concerns with the union regarding the issue, and questioned why the school - which has about 900 pupils - had not closed.

Maggie Russell, the joint local secretary for the Renfrewshire branch of the EIS, told BBC Scotland News she had contacted the local authority about the problem.

She said: "The problem in Gryffe was a leak in their system. A temporary fix has isolated the problem and heaters are in place but although the temperature is gradually rising it is still below the legal 16 degrees minimum.

"I asked if the school would be closed but the other measures were taken to avoid closure of Gryffe. We have had a few complaints from staff about the low temperatures.

"It is disappointing that schools were not ready to welcome staff and pupils back on the first day of term and testing of the system is to be reviewed in future to ensure preparedness of buildings."

Another person who contacted BBC Scotland about the heating, who declined to be named, said the matter was a health and safety issue and that the heaters provided by the council were too small to generate the amount of heat needed.

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: "The wellbeing of pupils and staff is our priority. Unfortunately due to winter weather, heating issues can arise.

"Action to address the issue at Gryffe High School was taken quickly, with additional heaters provided in classrooms in the interim. As temperatures increased, it was decided the best place for pupils was to remain in school."

More than 320 schools have closed across Scotland as a result of the cold snap, mostly in the north of the country.

Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland councils said all schools would remain closed today, while most in Aberdeen and Moray are also shut.

However, schools in the West of Scotland have suffered difficulty as well, including the Robert Burns Academy, and its supported learning centre in Cumnock, being closed until next week due to internal flood damage.

Two primary schools in East Ayrshire - Patna Primary and St Xavier's - were closed due to problems with their heating system but the council said they would reopen on Wednesday.