Temporary Facilities at St Joseph’s Prioritise Pupil Safety During Construction Works

HM Government of Gibraltar wishes to explain the temporary installation of portacabins at St Joseph’s School, which have been put in place principally to ensure the safety of pupils while major construction works continue on the school site.

The ongoing works mean that pupils would otherwise need to cross the active construction area in order to access the existing science and music rooms. Given the presence of heavy construction activity, including cranes operating on site, the Government and the school considered that this would not provide an appropriate or safe route for children.

Temporary specialist facilities have therefore been installed so that pupils can continue to access science and music provision without having to enter or cross the construction zone.

The portacabins provide a high standard of temporary accommodation. They are fully air conditioned, properly equipped for their intended educational use and include fire and security alarm systems. They will remain in place for the duration required to provide pupils with safe access to these facilities while the wider school project progresses.

Their location has inevitably required the temporary use of part of the existing parking and drop-off area. The Government has, however, undertaken work elsewhere in the area to create alternative spaces, with the intention of ensuring that the overall impact on parking across the wider zone is kept to a minimum.

The Minister for Education, the Hon Prof John Cortes MP, said:

“Throughout these works, the safety of the children has to come first. It would simply not be appropriate for pupils to be crossing an active construction site, beneath working cranes, in order to reach their science and music rooms.

“That is why we have provided these temporary facilities. They are not basic makeshift classrooms: they are high-quality, fully air-conditioned and properly equipped spaces, with the appropriate fire and security systems, which will allow children to continue enjoying the specialist facilities they need in a safe environment.

“There is some temporary inconvenience in relation to parking, and we recognise that, but we have worked to minimise the overall impact in the surrounding area. The overriding priority must be the safety of our children while we deliver what will ultimately be a greatly improved school for the children of the South District.”

The works at St Joseph’s form part of the Government’s continuing investment in Gibraltar’s education estate and will deliver significantly improved facilities for pupils and staff on completion.