Pupils face delayed return to Haygrove School
It's to allow for scaffolding to be erected, and a safety zone installed, around the condemned main building
Pupils at Haygrove School in Bridgwater will not all return to the site when term begins after the main school building was condemned as unsafe.
Writing on the school's website, headteacher Mr Reid said that "following rigorous assessments by the DfE and structural engineers", the main school building needed to be wrapped and scaffolded, and a five-metre safety zone placed around it.
This follows last week's decision to close the school's main building, which opened in October 2020.
It's the third school built by the now-defunct construction company Caledonian Modular to deemed unsafe by the Department for Education, with the Sir Frederick Harlow School in Harlow, Essex, and Buckton Fields Primary School in Northampton also having buildings closed.
The school, run by the Quantock Educational Trust, said the process of securing the main building began at the end of last week, and is expected to last for three weeks.
With these safety measures needing to be set up, and temporary classrooms and toilets installed, the school said this made a "staggered return" for pupils necessary.
Year 11 students are planned to be the first returning to the school site on Friday 7 September.
It's hoped Year 10 pupils would then be taught from Monday 18 September - although the teaching would take place at nearby Bridgwater and Taunton College.
The decision to use Bridgwater and Taunton College was because of its proximity to Haygrove, with teaching here taking place over an extended four days.
Haygrove School teachers would still be teaching pupils however.
It's hoped that Year 7 pupils can start on-site once the five-metre safety zone is finished, followed by Year 8's and Year 9's when temporary classrooms have been installed.
However the school could not give a date for when these pupils can enter the site.
Haygrove School described this situation as "certainly not ideal", but say they have "worked tirelessly to achieve the best outcomes given the circumstances."
They added they are working closely with the Department for Education to source temporary classrooms and toilets, saying they would inform parents of more exact dates when are sourced.