A 17 year old boy has appeared in court following a fire over the weekend which severely damaged a Stirling primary school.

Around 40 firefighters responded to the blaze at East Plean primary school at around 8.00pm on Saturday evening, with the fire eventually being extinguished at 5.30 on Sunday morning.

No one was injured in the blaze but the school building suffered extensive structural, water and smoke damage. The traditional school building was built in 1874 and while retaining many original features, was refurbished in 2000.

Around 150 pupils are being bussed in to Stirling’s Raploch Community Campus where the school is being housed on a temporary basis. The council is planning to build a temporary school building, but this will not be completed until the end of January 2011.

Stirling Council say initial findings from structural engineers show fire damage appears to be restricted to the central part of the school which is considered structurally unsound. All other areas were affected by water penetration and there could be concealed structural damage. But until engineers have completed their survey, the true extent of the damage will not be known.

Initial inspections by the loss adjuster indicate that repair work may take up to 18 months.

Headteacher Connie Desmond said: "I'd like to thank everyone across the Plean community for all their support and patience following Saturday’s serious blaze at the school. The building of East Plean Primary School has been damaged, but the spirit of the school is stronger than ever.

“Parents, local people, teachers and the whole school team, local councillors and council officers, colleagues in other schools, the emergency services – everyone has rallied round, and a huge amount has been achieved in a very short time. We've all been working together to find the best way for the children to get back to school and into a new routine as quickly as possible. Their happiness and wellbeing and the continuity of their education is the top priority for all of us." 

Watch video and images from STV