SOME of the closed classrooms at Preston Lodge High School are set to reopen after the October break as building repair works progress well, it has been confirmed.

Last month, East Lothian Council confirmed that a new timber structure would be installed on campus following a detailed appraisal by East Lothian Ltd and FES FM Ltd (the council's contract partners).

READ MORE: Preston Lodge High School to fully reopen by February

Council officials also confirmed that most teaching should be retuned to the campus by February next year.

However, they have now added that the controversial 'home room' set up, which saw S1 pupils taught in their old primary schools, could end by late November.

Twenty-three classrooms were forced to close following the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in the school's roof in the spring.

This lightweight form of precast concrete was frequently used in public sector buildings in the UK from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980 and notably forced the closure of The Brunton in Musselburgh and Ross High School's dining hall.

Additionally, the closure forced this year's new S1s to be taught for some subjects at their old primary schools in what were dubbed 'home rooms', while six temporary classrooms were installed on site.

However, the school's headteacher Gavin Clark confirmed in a letter to parents at the end of term that progress was being made and some classrooms would be open after the break.

He said: "As a result of the phased re-commissioning process, we expect that three maths classrooms will be back ready for use after the October break.

"We are hopeful that art and biology classrooms will also be back in operation towards the end of November.

"This represents a significant step forward, and further details on both this and the re-commissioning of other areas will be provided in the new term.

"The return of classrooms in these three areas would allow us to bring S1 students back into PL full-time.

"So, if the building works continue to progress well, we hope that, other than for PE, all S1 learning will resume within Preston Lodge in late November.

"It is important to remember, though, that delays are always possible in building work.

"That said, we remain confident that our S1s will be back at PL full-time, well in advance of the full remediation works being completed in February 2024.

"We have, of course, been able to keep other non-affected areas of the school open while this work has been taking place, and we anticipate this will continue to be the case between now and February."

Some changes to the home room set-up will be implemented after the October break, but Mr Clark was pleased with the progress seen by the incoming S1 cohort.

He said: "Whilst Home Rooms outside PL remain in operation, the same timetable will be in place, and that timetable will continue for a short period after S1 classes move into PL full-time. This will allow classes to settle into their new surroundings, swapping their current Home Room for a PL Home Room.

"After that short settling-in period, we will then rearrange classes into the original register classes that were set up prior to our building disruption, and shortly after that the amount of time students spend in non-practical PL classes will increase, with project-based learning time in Home Rooms decreasing."

He stressed that exact timetables or timescales for this had not been confirmed as yet.

He added: "Some students and families may be anxious about so much change, after a period of relative calm, but student wellbeing will always be our top priority, and we will provide all students and families with clear timelines, and very focused support, as things move forward."

Some changes to PE lessons have also been announced as classes currently taking place at the Pennypit will move to Meadowmill. Bus transport for these pupils will be provided but details are still to be confirmed.

The school also confirmed that as the winter weather arrived, pupils would no longer be forced to walk between PL and their home rooms as they currently do in poor weather.

A new bus service will be provided in the event of wet weather to aid in the movement of pupils. Details are still to be confirmed.

Mr Clark thanked parents, carers and pupils for their understanding during the challenging time and shared his happiness in seeing major progress being made.

He said: "This year has, of course, presented many challenges for our staff, our students, our families and the wider school community.

"I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding, as well as the great support we have received in our work, and we very much look forward to seeing classrooms re-open in the weeks ahead."