The main contractor at Edinburgh Academy's new £2m nursery and after-school facility has warned pupils about the dangers of playing on scaffolding and construction sites.

Dunne Building and Civil Engineering, part of Bathgate-based Dunne Group, is undertaking the complete design and build of the new development which will form an integral part of the independent school's campus that sits on the capital's Henderson Row.

Work is progressing on schedule and the group's health and safety team recently delivered an educational presentation to pupils with the help of the 'Stay Safe, Building Site Safety' magazine which has been developed by the Health and Safety Executive.

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The colourful educational publication, which is aimed at seven to eleven year olds and includes a character called Digger, is being used across the country to make schoolkids aware of the hazards that exist on live building sites.

Pupils were asked to solve a range of games and puzzles and the six who scored the highest were each presented with a certificate by headteacher Caroline Bashford before being given a tour of the site by Dunne Group's Health and Safety manager Robert Morrison.

Speaking after the tour, Robert said: "Building sites act like a magnet to children who don't understand the hazards they present.

"It is not enough to say no - children need to have the risks explained to them in a fun and enjoyable way they can properly relate to.

"We believe the educational programme has helped in getting the message across to the pupils and they will now have a better understanding of the dangers that building sites can pose."

Works on the new signature building at Edinburgh Academy include a steel frame structure, block work and rendering as well as all fixed and loose internal fixtures and fittings to a high quality specification. The project is expected to be completed by early September 2008 in time for the beginning of the new school term.

(GK/JM)