STUDENTS from Peebles High School will return to the school in February after extensive works on the site were undertaken during the Christmas holiday.

Since the blaze at the High School on November 28, students were divided between classrooms and community centres in Peebles and Galashiels for face-to-face teaching.

S4-S6 students will return to Peebles High on Monday, February 3 after their prelim exams which finish on January 31.

S1-S3 students will complete school work from home on February 3 so staff can ensure a safe and organised return to the site. Learning materials will be provided through the Show my Homework app and Glow. Junior students will then return to the High School on February 4.

Tracey Logan, Chief Executive of Scottish Borders Council, said: “We have continued to work right up to Christmas and in the days since to put plans in place to have all pupils back at Peebles High School as soon as possible. This includes the provision of temporary classrooms in the High School’s grounds and preparations for these are well underway.

“Although work continues, we are now fairly confident that, all going well, all pupils will be able to return to Peebles High School over the two days of 3rd and 4th February. This still depends on a number of factors but with the help and support of a huge range of staff and partners, we are very optimistic that we can achieve this.

“We would like to give parents and carers as much notice as possible; this includes the decision to ask S1-S3 pupils to work from home on Monday 3 February. The logistics of moving from the temporary sites and preparing the new arrangements are hugely challenging and the safety and well-being of pupils is our priority. As such, the operation to move from the temporary sites from Friday lunchtime over the weekend and into Monday needs to be carefully planned and managed.

“I am delighted that we are in such a positive position so quickly given the scale of the challenge. We will continue to work on the details around these plans and will keep pupils, parents and staff updated as we make more progress.”

Parts of the school which were greatly damaged after the fire will still be inaccessible to students for their safety.

Teaching and travel arrangements which were in place prior to the Christmas break will remain when students return to teaching on Monday, January 6.

All the temporary teaching locations used by Peebles High will be given back to Live Borders on January 31, with the exception of the Drill Hall which will continue to be used as a back-up teaching venue.

Ms Logan added: “Once again I’d like to pay tribute to everyone who has supported the Council and Peebles High School during this extremely challenging period, and of course to all the pupils, parents and staff for their patience during this time.

“The support of our partners Live Borders and CGI, numerous contractors and the local community has been invaluable.

“I’d also like to publicly thank all my staff who have worked so hard since 28 November to get us to this position.”

Leader of Scottish Borders Council, councillor Shona Haslam said: “I would like to again thank the officers, staff and pupils for their work in getting us to this stage.

"To have all the pupils back on one site only weeks after the devastating fire is an amazing achievement.

"We will continue to work on a longer term solution with partners to ensure that we continue to provide the best quality education to our young people.

"The past couple of weeks have shown what an amazing community we have in Peeblesshire, and through this resilience, perseverance and hard work we can all be very hopeful for the future of our school.”

Updates for Peebles High School can be found at www.scotborders.gov.uk/phsfire