A Milngavie primary school teacher was almost hit by a piece of falling ceiling in her classroom

A teacher at a primary school near Glasgow miraculously escaped injury after part of the ceiling collapsed.

Parents say a P7 teacher was left “shocked” after an incident at Milngavie Primary School on Thursday.

There were no children in the classroom when a piece of MDF fell and narrowly missed an employee sitting at a desk.

The school was due to be completely refurbished as part of a £27 million investment, but East Dunbartonshire Council decided to halt the project in August, deciding it was too expensive to continue.

The decision sparked fury among students and parents, which intensified after Thursday’s failed attempt.

Karen Reid, chair of the Milngavie Primary Parents’ Council, told STV News: ‘I was very concerned when I heard about what had happened but was relieved that there were no children in the classroom at the time.

“The teacher had a very narrow escape route because she was sitting at her desk when the ceiling batten fell and narrowly missed her. There were four nails sticking out of it, thanks to which we narrowly avoided a very serious accident.

“She was very shocked by it, and when they came back to the classroom after music lesson, all the children asked if everything was OK.

“The worrying issue is that there are many other temporary patches on the ceiling – what will happen if more of them fall?”

Ms Reid has a child in the school’s third grade and says the school’s condition is a constant concern.

She said: “The council put forward a renovation proposal a few years ago but since then we have been relying on temporary repairs until the building is completely wind and waterproof.

“Since then, the local government has decided to suspend renovation works and continue their implementation. Nothing actually happens while children sit with buckets around them due to dripping water and teachers almost get hit by pieces of the ceiling falling from the roof.

“It is simply not a safe environment for children and teachers to work.

“But the council says costs have increased due to inflation and rising interest rates and that work cannot continue for now. They are considering other options, but they really need to emphasize the urgency of this situation.

“It’s an old sandstone building that can’t be repaired, you just have to take care of it. “Many parents in the area are shocked by what happened this week.”

Parents also have concerns about mold at school, especially those whose children have respiratory illnesses.

East Dunbartonshire Council said there were areas of localized water ingress on the school site, but Thursday’s incident was unrelated to ongoing work to resolve the issue.

Alan Bauer, executive director of assets and facilities at East Dunbartonshire Council, said: “A piece of MDF (medium density fireplace board) applied to the ceiling as part of a historic repair fell from the ceiling of a classroom at Milngavie Primary School.

“Thankfully no one was injured and a full ceiling inspection was carried out to ensure the classroom was safe for use. This incident is unrelated to proposed work to address the currently isolated areas of water ingress that have recently been reported to authorities.

“The health and safety of staff and pupils is our top priority, so officers continue to carry out daily inspections throughout the school building and carry out any maintenance repairs as required, with further internal work scheduled for the October school holidays.

“Options for replacing the roofs at Milngavie Primary School are currently being assessed and will be brought to the attention of the authorities for further consideration in due course.”

Marie McNair, SNP MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, said she was “appalled” by the news of the incident.

She said: “The classroom should be a safe environment for students and teachers. “I have therefore urgently contacted the council’s chief executive to obtain further information and to ensure there is no ongoing risk to the school property.”

Last month, the Scottish Government published figures showing that a record 92% of pupils in Scotland were educated in schools in a “good or satisfactory” condition.

However, the data also shows that the number of students studying in “poor” conditions has more than quadrupled since 2020.