Denton school shut for safety
A Denton head teacher has closed all classes due to concerns about the safety of the building
The Head of a Tameside primary school has closed all classes due to 'safety reasons'.
The board of governors, of the newly refurbished school in Denton, posted the following statement on Facebook.
Parents appear to be split over the decision to condemn the school on Clare Street and some have have responded with frustration on Facebook.
Commenting on the statement, Jeni Gill wrote; 'I fully support the closure to keep the children and adults safe. What I don't support is the approach you took to inform us and you still haven't answered any of the parents' key questions here.'
Among those supporting the closure is Claire Marie who said: 'I support your decision fully and completely understand it was not an easy decision to make. I have emailed Tameside LEA and the council to insist they tackle the contractors seriously and swiftly on this matter.'
Tameside Council have issued the following statement:
Tameside Council and Carillion plc are surprised and disappointed by the sudden closure of Russell Scott Primary School in Denton announced by the Head Teacher on social media at 19:27 last night (17 May 2016) and notified to the Council half an hour later.
The Council are currently working to establish on what legal basis the Head Teacher and Governors made the decision to close the school. A decision neither the Head Teacher nor Chair of Governors discussed with the Council. The school has not made us aware of any technical or professional advice, which states the school environment is unsafe and should be closed. The School has the necessary fire, building control and other certificates required by law and is insured to operate.
Our priority now is to work with the school to ensure it re-opens as soon as possible in the best interests of all pupils and parents.
To provide assurance to parents, staff and pupils we have arranged for a comprehensive fire risk assessment to be undertaken today by a qualified fire officer.
Both Tameside Council and Carillion plc have a long track record of successfully building new and refurbished schools to the highest of standards with a 100% safety record. The safety of staff and pupils is of the utmost importance to Tameside Council and Carillion plc. We acknowledge that any building project poses challenges for schools but under no circumstances would we place pupils and staff in an unsafe environment.
PL