Latest news with #CheviotLearningTrust
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Prudhoe Community High School's September reopening confirmed
Pupils at a school closed since February after cracks were discovered in its first floor will return in September, it has been from Prudhoe Community High School, in Northumberland, have been taught at Sunderland College's Washington Campus, 16 miles (25.7km) away, in recent of the school's reopening was confirmed in a letter to parents from the academy running it, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Learning Trust's chief executive officer, Alice Witherow, said the decision had been taken following meetings with technical advisors from the Department for Education (DfE) and builders. It had previously been described as the "best case scenario" alongside the possibility it could take up until Christmas. 'Huge relief' The cause of the cracks has yet to be school cost £14.6m to build under the then-Conservative Witherow wrote: "I know this will be a huge relief for all."Work will start over the coming weeks to fix the areas of the building where the original crack appeared and ongoing checks will be made throughout that time in order that we have absolute assurance that the building is safe and that this will not happen again."We are still waiting on final written reports on the building and will be able to update you with more information regarding the cause as these are completed."Furniture and equipment will be transported from Washington back to Prudhoe during the school holidays, she DfE previously said it had been "continuing to work with the school and the trust". Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Prudhoe Community High School may reopen in September
A school which was closed due to safety concerns will reopen in the autumn term, its academy trust has Community High School in Northumberland was shut in February after cracks were found in the first floor of the building, which is less than 10 years then, pupils have been taught at Sunderland College's Washington Campus - 16 miles (25.7km) away from their Learning Trust's CEO Alice Witherow said "the best case scenario" could see pupils return by September, but warned parents the situation could drag out until Christmas. "The precise time frame is still emerging so we are planning for both possibilities," Ms Witherow said."As a relatively new school, the building is under warranty and the original builders, as part of their contract, have the right to repair the building under that warranty."Following investigations by different parties, the builders have given assurance that they have the capacity and workforce to undertake any remediations required. This means that the building can be reopened in the autumn term." 'Stress for families' The school was built in 2016 at a cost of £14.6m under the previous Conservative government's priority school building programme (PSBP).An investigation is under way into the damage but an exact cause has yet to be Witherow said the building's concrete and steel frame had "performed in a way that was not expected", which caused cracks to appear on the first school will only be reopened once Department for Education technical advisors deem the building safe, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Hexham MP Joe Morris said he had been inspired by school staff who had "worked at pace to minimise disruption to learning". "I also want to recognise the stress this has caused the families and carers of those studying at Prudhoe Community High School and, most of all, the hard work of the students," he said."Relocation while studying has caused immense stress to those students, and we should all recognise and celebrate their accomplishments." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Prudhoe High School safety report due 'imminently'
Investigations into damage that forced a school to close are said to be nearing are working to determine the cause of cracks that appeared in the structure of Prudhoe High School, in Northumberland, in building, which opened in 2016, has been closed for almost four months with pupils being taught 16 miles (25kms) away at Washington, near Cheviot Learning Trust academy chain, which runs the school, said the completion of tests was "imminent", adding: "We will then be able to update on how the building can be repaired." It said it would then allow plans to be formulated for September and government said it hoped to return pupils to the site as soon as possible.A Department for Education (DfE) spokeswoman said: "We have worked closely with Prudhoe Community High School and the Cheviot Learning Trust to return students to face-to-face learning at the earliest opportunity."We are continuing to work with the school and the trust in next steps." Wait 'too long' Prudhoe Community High School cost £14.6m under the previous Conservative government's priority school building programme (PSBP).Tory councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, cabinet member for education at Northumberland County Council, said the DfE "needs to release the detailed report on the condition of the building" as soon as possible."The school building is still under warranty. It shouldn't cost the taxpayer anything to put right," he said."Parents and the council have waited too long for further information about the school."Renner-Thompson also said he continued to believe a site formerly used as Hexham Middle School was a more suitable solution than sending children to Washington and back on buses each council has said it offered the building to the DfE as an alternative but was turned middle school on Wanless Lane closed in 2021. It is 10 miles (16kms) from Prudhoe and benefits from existing transport links, according to Local Democracy Reporting DfS has not commented on reports it was offered the site. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Prudhoe High school Pupils given new site 16 miles away
Pupils at a school which had to be shut due to cracks will now be taught about 16 miles (26km) away for the "foreseeable future", bosses have Community High School in Northumberland was shut on 17 February and pupils were initially told they would not be able to return until 3 the Cheviot Learning Trust then told parents the school would be closed for "six to nine months as a minimum" after the building - built nine years ago - was found to be has now said pupils will be taught at Sunderland College's Washington Campus, meaning pupils will have to take a 32-mile (52km) round trip each day. Trust chief executive Alice Witherow said the team was grateful to the college for "their collaboration and support in making this solution possible".She said the team had received "many messages of support" from parents and the wider community in recent weeks."[It] has been a real lift for all of us," she said, adding: "It is a real team effort and we are really grateful." The trust said the building in Washington would only be used by its school pupils and it would be for the "foreseeable future", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said the children would be bussed from Prudhoe to the college and back again each day, and that everyone would be "entitled to a space".Education Partnership North East, which Sunderland College is a part of, said it was committed to serving communities in the region. Neither body said when exactly pupils would start learning at the site. Students are currently being taught online. Prudhoe Community High School was built in 2016 at a cost of £14.6m under the previous Conservative government's priority school building programme (PSBP). Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
10-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Prudhoe High school: New site found for pupils of 'unsafe' school
A temporary site has been found for a school which had to be closed when cracks appeared on its upper floor. Prudhoe Community High School in Northumberland was shut on Monday 17 February, and pupils were told they would not be able to return until 3 the Cheviot Learning Trust then told parents the school would be closed for "six to nine months as a minimum" after the building - built nine years ago - was found to be unsafe. The trust said it would reveal the new site once the deal with its owners was complete. Trust chief executive Alice Witherow said: "I know that this is frustrating but the other party has asked us not to release information at this point."I am very hopeful, however, that this is a good interim solution."The school was built in 2016 at a cost of £14.6m under the previous Conservative government's priority school building programme (PSBP).The building has been deemed "unsafe" by engineers and "stringent" safety measures are in place to prevent are currently learning online from Tracey Gilmour said she was worried about the impact on her daughter, who is about to take her GCSEs. "Now they're home-schooling and not in front of the teachers so they're missing that crucial stage of the year when they really need to prepare for their exams," she said. In a statement, the trust said it continued to "explore the possibility of installing portable classrooms onsite as a longer-term option".But, it said, that was dependent on "ongoing structural investigations and advice from surveyors regarding land movement beneath the school building".Ms Witherow added: "Staff have told me they are really impressed with the resilience of the students and it is great to hear these positive stories."I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who is making this possible."The support from parents, the local community, the Department for Education and Northumberland County Council has been invaluable." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
