Mistley parents informed of school building closure due to safety concerns

Primary school warns parents of indefinite closure due to safety risks, advises seeking alternative options.

Since April, students from Mistley Norman Church of England (CoE) Primary School have been relocated to classrooms in another school situated in North Essex.

The school’s ceiling panels, which contain lightweight concrete, pose a risk of potential “gradual or sudden” collapse.

Parents expressed concerns, stress, and fear over the situation, describing it as bleak. Georgina, whose five-year-old son Tyllar attends the school, shared her worries.

Expressing her concerns, a 32-year-old parent stated that the situation has caused immense stress, heartache, and upset. She expressed her determination to do whatever it takes to keep the school and maintain stability for her son. She mentioned that if she had to transport Tyllar to another school, she would need to learn to drive.

In March last year, the Department for Education (DfE) requested schools to inspect their buildings for suspected reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

The material, which was utilized in the construction of roofs, floors, and walls of public buildings between the 1960s and 1980s, was designed with a projected lifespan of 30 years.

According to a report by the Department for Education (DfE) released in December, concrete poses a heightened risk of structural failure, which can occur gradually or suddenly without any prior indication.

The school stated its anticipation of renting classrooms throughout September.

Rebecca explained that her family, who lacks a vehicle, relocated to a residence near Mistley Norman for the convenience of having the school within close proximity. This decision was made to facilitate her partner, who faces mental health challenges, in walking their five-year-old son Teddy to the school gates.

Rebecca expressed, “Taking his child to school and picking him up is the one meaningful act that gives him a sense of purpose, and now it has been snatched away.”

The chef, aged 44, relayed that a teaching assistant, who has been part of the school for 18 years, confided on Wednesday that it felt as though her family had been forcefully separated from her.

Source : bbc.com