Leicester shut school pupils facing further disruption

Pupils at a Leicester primary school closed due to structural concerns are facing months of further disruption.

Mayflower Primary was shut with 24 hours' notice in April after an inspection identified issues with the concrete used in some buildings.

About 500 pupils have had to travel to different locations ever since, with Year 6 unable to sit their SATs.

Families have now been told their children should be moved to a temporary school site after October half-term.

The Department of Education is currently carrying out a national survey of schools built with a type of reinforced concrete panel popular from the 1950s to 1980s.

But it has been found have a limited structural life and has been linked to roof failures in at least two schools.

Jai, who goes to Mayflower and is going into Year 6 in September, has been taught in a temporary classroom (TMS) at Judgemeadow Community College during the last few weeks of term.

He told BBC Radio Leicester: "I was a bit surprised myself because I wasn't sure exactly what was happening.

"But once we got to the TMS I was actually quite surprised at how well our teachers adapted and how much Judgemeadow helped us."

Luke Whitney, the head teacher of Mayflower Primary, said the current situation was "untenable", but he was proud of the way the community had pulled together.

He added: "The children have been marvellous, they have taken everything in their stride and I could not be more proud of them and our community.

"When we had this issue at the end of April all our friends locally came to our aid, which is what you want."

Mr Whitney admitted the timescale for repairing the school was "uncertain" but alternative plans were in place.

"We are building a full modular school and all the children will go on to the Ethel Road playing fields and that building is in the process of being commissioned at the moment.

"They will be good quality classrooms and very good quality accommodation for our children to be educated in," he said.

A Leicester City Council spokesperson said repairs might take "a year or more" and acknowledged it had been "an extremely difficult term".

"The decision to close the school building and temporarily relocate pupils was taken as part of a national, government-led programme that's assessing the safety of school buildings constructed using RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) panels.

"Specialist surveys have now that found that significant remedial work is required due to the way in which the school was originally built," they added.

A Department for Education spokesperson said the safety of pupils and staff had to be paramount.

They added: "We are in regular contact with the schools and the council to solve this as soon as possible and are working closely with them to minimise the impact of closures and ensure continuity of education for pupils."

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].