Watch: Parents fear for children's safety at 'no wall' Falkirk primary school
A primary school which has had no fence or wall to shield its pupils’ playground from the nearby road or to protect them from passers by for a number of years is now classed as a clear and present danger by concerned parents.
St Francis Xavier Primary School, in Merchiston Avenue, Falkirk, has not had a boundary fence or wall in place along the 200 metre-long stretch of road since 2018 and was meant to have a replacement erected this summer, but work is still to start and the new term has already begun.
Parents got in touch with The Falkirk Herald this week to voice their concerns.
They fear if a driver lost control of their vehicle it may run headlong into a group of children playing in the school playground and there is nothing to stop a child running straight out into the path of an oncoming car.
They also state anyone who wants to can enter the school grounds without too much trouble as there is nothing to prevent access.
Councillor Dennis Goldie is aware of the situation, which he branded an “absolute disgrace”.
He added: “The wall that was there fell down in 2018 and Falkirk Council checked the situation and said they would get it repaired, then they took the rest of the wall down at the start of this year’s summer holiday.
"The situation at present is putting young children in harm’s way. Why on earth has this area not been made safe? Have we never learned any lessons over the years, kids out at play time are now wide open to dangerous dogs, and the threat of being attacked by a dog or dogs.
“And have we really not learned from Dunblane? Would this be allowed to happen at any other primary school?”
Falkirk Council stated work had been due to commence over the summer break.
A spokesperson said: “There was a delay with sourcing materials for the work. Our contractor has indicated they hope to be on site by the end of this week and that the work should take between two to three days to complete.”