Watch: Pupils return to fire-hit Edinburgh school

Thousands of children across the Capital return to school today, but for pupils at Liberton Primary it will be extra special.

Today Paul Ewing is smiling – proper, happy smiles. Things at Liberton Primary are finally feeling good for him and his team, for the first time in many, many months.

Like most headteachers across the Capital, Mr Ewing is also breathing a sigh of relief as schools are flung open to pupils for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic forced their closures back in March, followed by an uncertain summer which proved to be far from a holiday for many.

Paul Ewing, headteacher at Liberton Primary School, today welcomes back pupils following a huge fire and the Covid-19 lockdown. Pictures: Lisa Ferguson/JPIMedia

But the pandemic is just one challenge Liberton Primary – its staff, pupils, parents and wider community – have had to cope with this year.

Back in February, a large fire broke out in the building shortly after home time, ripping through 12 classrooms, completely destroying their contents and leaving a huge section of the school inaccessible.

The cause of the fire was never concluded, but years of teaching resources lay in ruin, along with smartboards, books, computers, desks, and jotters, falling to either fire, smoke or water damage.

The fire’s devastation was immediate for the hundreds of children who were decanted just days after to other schools across the city, travelling on buses with their teachers to locations unfamiliar to them and their families in what proved to be a highly organised and complex operation for staff, parents and the local authority.

And then came lockdown and more upset, disruption and uncertainty. Many more months were spent away from school, friends, structured teaching and routine.

But now here they are, six months on, back home. It is all a little different, of course, as temporary classrooms dominate the grounds and pandemic restrictions limit some of normal school life. Mr Ewing can handle these minor complications though, because his Liberton Primary family is finally back together – and he has missed it.

“You carry your heart in your school,” he explains.

“We are excited to have everybody back, to bring everybody back together. It feels right.”

Mr Ewing was not in the school building at the time of the blaze on February 5, when around 50 firefighters were called to the Gilmerton Road site.

It was around 3.30pm, the fire having broken out in an upstairs classroom shortly after the majority of pupils had left for the day. Staff worked quickly under huge pressure to evacuate the building of its after-school club, basketball class and afternoon nursery session, while Mr Ewing got the call.

“Fire engines were overtaking me as I drove, heading for the school,” he says. “How did I feel? Shock for most of it, especially as it was looking quite significant. Everyone got out safely though, which is all that really matters.”

What followed for the school was change; huge change not only to the fabric of the building but to its way of life.

Complex plans were put into place over the February holidays, with only a few days of teaching missed, and then pupils and parents were thrown into a sea of “hi vis vests and organisation”, as Mr

Ewing describes it, on a “decant” that would see the Liberton Primary family divided over four sites: some pupils remaining at the school, others at Castleview Primary, Castlebrae High and Prestonfield Primary.

Every morning, children would arrive at Liberton to queue for buses, their teachers smiling and encouraging them on to their various locations where life would continue in as normal a way as possible.

“We were in four buildings then, and during lockdown we were in 400 buildings, but we have always been one school,” Mr Ewing says.

His pride for his school is clear as he talks about his teaching staff “pulling together” with the “tremendous” support of the city council. He cannot praise his depute heads enough, his teachers, support staff and all who work at Liberton.

And then there are the pupils and parents for whom resilience, optimism and team work appear to have become bywords.

“There has been a real sense of pride for me,” he says. “My staff have gone above and beyond to support the children.

“What we have gone through as a school has made us stronger. We’re a big family.”

Today, many children will be taught in portable cabins, some of which will then be removed over the coming months to allow for a transition into a two-storey temporary structure while plans for rebuilding a new wing get under way.

“We are so looking forward to seeing the children,” says Mr Ewing, who has been at the school for ten years.

“This has been an experience for us all and we have had to learn new skills, but it has reinvigorated us and I am keen to get back to focusing on what is really important.”

‘We were taken in and made to feel so welcome’

To say that community spirit has got Liberton Primary through the challenges of this year seems a bit of an understatement – it has been a lifeline.

Without the understanding, pro-activity and adaptability of parents and pupils there is no question that staff would have found the challenges they faced even harder.

But help did not stop there, as countless people across the wider Liberton area – and further beyond the city – more than stepped up to help a school that really needed a hand.

“After the fire we had so many offers of donations,” explains Ellie Weir, chair of the Liberton Primary Association.

“There were things like books and cushions for the temporary classrooms we were going to be in. We had other schools delivering them to us, a local pharmacy offering us space to use for storage, people giving us carpets, and a group at a local community centre crocheting blankets.

“People were so generous.”

Like many parents, Ellie – who has two children at Liberton Primary – heard of February’s fire by text message as news spread quickly across the community that afternoon.

“There was a lot of disbelief at first,” she says.

“I could not believe it and there was panic because of the time that it took place as we knew children were still in the building.”

Ellie and her team of volunteers were quick to channel as much information as they could to parents from school management, using the association’s Facebook page. This continued during the “double whammy” of lockdown and over the summer holidays as plans for a return were discussed nationally and locally.

She praises staff for their “brilliant” work in making the decant to other schools across Edinburgh a success following the fire. She also stresses that the welcome Liberton Primary pupils received was “fantastic”.

“Pupils from the other schools sent us cards,” she says.

“Staff also held open days for parents. We were really pleased that we were taken in and so welcomed.”

Today marks a return for pupils and another day in the journey the school faces in designing and rebuilding the fire damaged wing.

“We’ve been really pleased that the council has listened to us and made an effort over what we would like from the new building,”she says.

“This week is going to be emotional but there is a lot of positivity.

“The pupils have been so resilient, with no complaining. They’ve just embraced the challenges.”

Liberton Primary pupils are desperate to get back to school

It has been a year like no other for the pupils at Liberton Primary, facing more disruption than most children will ever tackle at school.

Among the hundreds of youngsters who met the devastating news that their much-loved school had been partially destroyed by fire – and then went on to months of home-schooling during lockdown – is seven-year-old Amelie.

This eloquent, bright P3 pupil cannot wait to get back to her beloved school, and will be one of many to have missed all its excitement, routine and happiness.

“I have really missed my friends and teachers,” she says.

“I’ve missed having fun in the playground and being in the classroom and learning.“It’s been quite a long time.”

Staff have gone to great lengths during the fire decant and lockdown to meet the needs of pupils.

Such examples include taking pictures of the classrooms in the schools pupils were to be based post-fire, so they could visualise their new setting.

One teacher recorded herself singing individual birthday messages during lockdown to ensure every child had an opportunity to feel special.

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