Ceiling collapse sparks school closures in North Tyneside

Philippa GoymerBBC Investigations (North East)

The partial collapse of a ceiling at a primary school has sparked disruption at a number of schools in north-east England.

Hundreds of pupils are being affected by classroom closures while "urgent structural checks" are carried out across North Tyneside.

Some students are being taught at home as fears spread following the partial collapse at Annitsford's Fordley Primary.

At least three other schools have identified similar issues, leading to partial closures.

North Tyneside Council said the issue is not related to problems with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) which have affected buildings nationwide.

The collapse at Fordley in December, where a piece of concrete "the size of a laptop" fell from the ceiling, led to schools of a similar age, design and building history being checked for issues.

Issues were uncovered at Wallsend's Churchill Community College, Grasmere Academy in Killingworth and Hazlewood Community Primary School in Wideopen.

The council's director of resources Jon Ritchie called the closures "a precautionary measure".

He added: “Thorough building inspections are taking place by structural engineers, in consultation with Department for Education engineers.

“Until the full findings of these detailed investigations are known, decisions have been made by the schools, with the support of North Tyneside Council, to close the parts of the buildings where inspections are needed.

“Where early inspections have revealed concerns, decisions have also been taken in conjunction with the schools for either whole school or partial school closures."

'Out of the blue'

Stephane Bommel, head at Hazlewood Primary School, said all of its students have been moved to remote learning, adding that staff are working to ensure children still receive the "best education possible from home".

One concerned Hazelwood parent said: “It was such a shock and just came out of the blue.

"It is a wonderful school and we are just really concerned about the future of our children’s education.

“But many parents are working parents and suddenly their children are at home and they are having to get emergency childcare or rely on grandparents or family members.

"That’s what I have had to do. It isn’t ideal and it is such an awful worry"

Disruption

Parts of Churchill Community College were closed following an inspection last week.

Head Paul Johnson said most pupils are now learning remotely, with years 10 to 13 studying in an unaffected part of the school.

The parent of one pupil at Churchill Community College blamed the problem on the scrapping of the Building Schools For The Future programme.

It was ended in 2010 and replaced by the Priority School Building Programme from 2015 to 2021, then replaced again by the school rebuilding programme in 2021.

The parent said: "The results of this are plain to see now. Lots of children have had their education and social development disrupted by learning from home during Covid and now it’s being further disrupted by the Raac scandal and also by whatever is now affecting these four schools in North Tyneside."

When these comments were put to the Department of Education (DfE), a spokesperson said: “We are in close contact with the responsible body, North Tyneside Council, as they carry out their investigations locally and will support them to minimise any impact to education as necessary.”

The DfE reviews the circumstances of each school individually, including any requests for funding, it is understood.

'Minimise the impact'

Councillor Steven Phillips, North Tyneside's cabinet member for inclusion, employment and skills, said measures were put in place quickly to reduce the risk to the school community while "thorough" structural building inspections take place.

He added: "Our position is clear - we must do everything we can to ensure everyone is safe while at school.

"We are now working alongside the Department for Education and the school leaders to minimise the impact on the school community as much as possible.”

The DfE has also reportedly been made aware of the wider implications of structural problems at similar schools across the country.

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