Praise has been given to East Lothian Council officers for their work in ensuring that Preston Lodge High School will fully reopen after faults were discovered in its roof.

The Prestonpans school was forced to close 23 of its classrooms in the spring after the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in the roof space.

This lightweight form of precast concrete, frequently used in public sector buildings in the UK from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, can be susceptible to crumbling and has been found in buildings nationwide.

Since the discovery, the school has been forced to erecct six temporary classrooms and the new S1s have had to have some lessons in their old primary schools.

Last month, the council confirmed that the school would be able to fully reopen by February, as a new timber structure was to be put in place in affected parts of the building to support the existing roof.

However, significant progress has been made which should see the school more or less return “back to normal” by the end of this month.

Councillor Neil Gilbert, ward member for Preston Seton Gosford, told last month’s meeting of Prestonpans Community Council that the success of the work could be of UK significance and deserved to be commended.

He said: “[PL] may be used as a template for other RAAC buildings across the UK.”

He praised Tom Reid, the council officer who led the repair plan, for his hard work. Community councillors agreed and also paid credit to school staff.

Councillor Fiona Dugdale, cabinet spokesperson for education, was thankful to everyone who worked together to create a viable solution to the problem at PL.

She later told the Courier: “Close and effective partnership working between the council, Innovate East Lothian Ltd and FES FM Ltd with partner Narro Associates resulted in an innovative technical solution being agreed.

“I would like to thank everyone involved, including officers and school staff, as well as our partners and the school community. The patience and understanding of students and the school community has been greatly appreciated.

“We know that challenges are being experienced in other parts of the country in relation to RAAC. We would, of course, be happy to share our experience and any learning points with colleagues in other areas, although appreciate there can be differences between buildings and different technical challenges.”