A “catastrophic” risk of falling steel panels has finally been named as the reason behind the ongoing closure of a Newcastle school.
Families have been left deeply frustrated over the lack of answers over recent weeks from bosses at Jesmond Park Academy, which has been shut since October 19 after suffering damage during Storm Babet. School bosses have been heavily criticised for leaving pupils in “limbo” since then, with parents and local councillors hitting out at a lack of information and more than 2,000 children forced to learn at home.
In a lengthy statement issued on Thursday, the cause of the closure was at last identified – though when the school, formerly known as Heaton Manor, will reopen remains unclear. George Snaith, chair of trustees at the Gosforth Group of academies, confirmed that a section of steel fascia from a walkway at the back of the school collapsed on October 18.
- Read More: Parent launches petition demanding answers as Jesmond Park Academy remains closed
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Those steel panels run around the roof of the school and Mr Snaith said that, after a survey was conducted, education chiefs “cannot be sure the building is completely safe”. He wrote: “The safety of our students and staff is paramount and we will not take any chances. Steel falling from the walkway was serious; steel falling two stories from the main roof could be catastrophic.”
In his letter, Mr Snaith apologised for the prolonged school closure for the lack of detail being shared publicly. He said that “complicated legal relationships” meant that the exact nature of the damage could not be disclosed until now and that the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) company responsible for the school building still has six years to run on its contract – until when the school is effectively a “tenant”.
Mr Snaith confirmed that the first inspections on the building did not begin until October 26, eight days after the incident, and that a report on the damage was not delivered until last Friday, November 3. He told parents that the size of the school meant that finding an alternative location for in-person teaching was “a huge challenge and not a straightforward or quick fix”, but that officials were “pursuing a number of solutions on site to help get students safely back into the building”.
Following questions over the school building being reportedly opened for outside groups to use, including a planned model railway exhibition that has since been cancelled, Mr Snaith said this was in the hands of the PFI company and “not under our control and certainly not a position that we agree with”.
He added: “We understand and recognise that many of you and your children will be worrying about lost learning, and I want to provide assurances to you that, as a Trust, we are ready to provide assistance and resources to support any catch-up work that is required. Likewise, we recognise the anxiety and worry this incident has caused to students and we will support Mr Campbell and his team in identifying any additional wellbeing resources that may be needed, outside the existing provision.
“Once again I apologise that we have not shared this sooner, but our hands have been tied due to legal constraints and the complicated nature of the relationships. I hope that this has provided some clarity on the complexity of the situation and going forward that we are able to share more positive news with you.
“Until then, we recognise your anger, your concerns for the education of your children, the disruption to your family lives and to your work. We value your ongoing patience as we look to resolve matters and please be assured that we are firmly committed to ensuring a safe solution is found as soon as possible.”
Jon Bryan, who has two teenage children at the school, said it was helpful to finally have some detail about the problems at the school – but called leaders’ refusal to hold a meeting with parents and carers a “kick in the teeth”. He added that families with children in exam years had been left “incredibly anxious”.
Mr Bryan, who set up a petition about the closure which now has more than 300 signatories, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This letter has been over three weeks in the making, so I would expect it to have some substance. It does have some detail, but some of that is frightening. It took the Gosforth Group over a week to get someone on site, a further week for them to finish and file their report, but there is still no end in sight. The summary of the report from the chair of the trustees says – ‘we cannot be sure’. That is far from reassuring for the future.”
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