Orihuela City Council is preparing an emergency €40,000 works contract in an attempt to keep Virgen de la Puerta Primary School open for the start of the new academic year.
The school, attended by 302 pupils, faces an uncertain September after technical reports identified structural problems in its pillars and floors. The planned work would involve underground piling in the most critical areas, although officials acknowledge that this could delay the return to classrooms.
The PP-Vox local government currently expects pupils to begin the year in the existing building while negotiations continue to acquire a 10,000-square-metre plot from Sareb. The land would initially accommodate prefabricated classrooms and is also being considered as the site of a future replacement school.
However, the Valencian Regional Ministry of Education says progress has been delayed because the council failed to provide suitable public land for the temporary classrooms. A previously proposed site beside Las Espeñetas Secondary School was rejected because it is vulnerable to flooding.
The PSOE has criticised the council’s handling of the situation, arguing that serious concerns have been known since at least 2015. A detailed assessment found weaknesses in the concrete structure and concluded that complete renovation would cost more than 65% of the building’s replacement value, making demolition and reconstruction the more practical option.
There is also disagreement over the severity of the danger. An external technical report highlighted risks to pupils and staff, while a municipal architect reportedly assessed the structural threat as less serious.
Virgen de la Puerta is the only public school serving Orihuela’s Rabaloche neighbourhood. Its pupils include many children from vulnerable families who rely on the school for meals, specialist educational support and programmes designed to prevent absenteeism.
With little time remaining before classes resume, delays over land, temporary accommodation and emergency repairs have left families and staff awaiting a definitive and safe solution.
