Dear Parents and Carers,
Subject: School Reopening Tomorrow – Safety Measures Completed
Thank you for your patience and understanding during today’s unexpected school closure. We’re writing to update you on the steps we’ve taken to ensure the continued safety of our school environment.
While we fully appreciate that a school closure is disruptive, I’m sure you will understand that this was a necessary precaution. The whiteboard that fell on Monday was large and extremely heavy; we could not risk the possibility of a similar incident causing serious injury to a student or member of staff. During our inspections late on Monday, we identified compromised fixings in at least 15 classrooms. Due to the number of affected spaces and the lack of suitable alternative teaching areas within the building, a full closure was the only safe and practical option while a full site survey was taken and remedial work was carried out.
Following a review of the classroom whiteboard fixings this morning, we’ve worked closely with the Galliford Try team and representatives from the Local Authority, who are on site today. All affected classrooms have now been fully inspected, and the whiteboard fixings are being upgraded ready for opening tomorrow as a precautionary measure. Every whiteboard across the school has also been checked and confirmed as safe. Galliford Try is investigating the work carried out by previous contractors who originally fitted the affected whiteboards.
We’re therefore pleased to confirm that the school is safe to reopen as usual tomorrow, Wednesday 25.06.24, and we look forward to welcoming all pupils back.
Thank you again for your understanding. Whilst some have criticised these steps as ‘overkill’, I am sure the same people would have criticised a lack of action if we had not taken this decision and a student had been subsequently seriously injured.
Warm regards,
Kelly Holbrook
Headteacher
