Much Wenlock school forced to partially close due to balcony safety concerns

Parents and children at William Brookes School in Much Wenlock were notified of the closure today over the safety of balconies - ahead of an opening evening tomorrow.

The school says "significant efforts" have been made to enhance the safety of the balconies at the school last year, however a recent inspection has found that further reinforcement is required to "fully comply with public and commercial building regulations".

William Brookes School added that it has conducted a comprehensive risk assessment of their buildings and taken the decision temporarily to reduce the number of children present on school premises to "prioritise student safety".

The school confirmed that the closure will be in place until the balconies have undergone necessary building work.

The secondary school has been closed to all students today with a mixture of online learning and live lessons in place. Meanwhile, tomorrow will see the return of year seven and 13 students while pupils in years eight to 11 will participate in online lessons.

And, on Thursday, years seven, 11 and 13 will be present in school while years eight to 10 will participate in live lessons online.

William Brookes School says students will be working on the ground floor or in areas of the school away from the balconies.

A statement said: "The school's foremost priority is to ensure that children have an excellent educational experience, whilst maintaining their safety and wellbeing. The school recognises the inconvenience and disruption that the partial closure will cause to some parents and children, and will keep in close and regular contact as the situation progresses and more information becomes available."

It adds: "The school has taken the decision to enable year seven students to attend school in person as it recognises that some 11-year-olds do not have the maturity to look after themselves unsupervised and are inexperienced in using Microsoft Teams for online learning.

"Year 11 and Year 13 students are in exam years and so, at present, will be able to be in school every day. The school canteen will be open each day at break and lunch to provide snacks and lunch for children in school.

"Provisions are in place to support the delivery of high-quality live online learning for students in years eight to 10. A support hotline will be available if children experience any difficulty with online learning. Form tutors will check in with children every morning via Microsoft Teams, and attendance at online learning will be monitored.

"Children in years eight to 10 with an EHCP and/or those being supported by the Safeguarding team will be able to attend school to complete their online learning under supervision.

"Children in receipt of free school meals can be provided with a packed lunch on request."

William Brookes Secondary School says its opening evening, planned for tomorrow evening, will go ahead.