Call for “urgent” answers on Prudhoe High School three months after shock closure
Prudhoe Community High School has been shut to pupils since mid-February after cracks were discovered in the building’s structure
Hexham MP Joe Morris has called for “urgent” answers on the cause of damage that has seen a Northumbrian high school closed for almost three months.
Prudhoe Community High School has been shut to pupils since mid-February after cracks were discovered in the building’s structure. Initial inspections deemed the eight-year-old school to be unsafe, with further investigations into the potential cause ongoing.
Pupils were initially educated via online classes, before a temporary site was secured on Wearside at Sunderland College’s Washington Campus. Mr Morris has criticised the previous Conservative Government for the siutation and accused them of failing to invest properly in education.
He said: “The Conservatives thought so little of the community in Prudhoe that they allowed this situation to develop. Despite representing this community for 100 years, even the little investment they did secure has been shown to be built on sand.
I want to see an urgent investigation into how this situation developed, and answers for the students, parents and staff of Prudhoe Community High School. I will continue to work closely with the school, to support students and the community. This isn’t about party politics – it’s about a community that was led down the garden path.”
Mr Morris also praised school staff for their efforts in what has been a difficult time for the school, adding: “It would be a struggle to find a more inspiring group of people.”
The MP has also raised the issue in parliament. Speaking in Westminster Hall, he said: “For far too long, the state of rural and semi- rural schools has been forgotten, particularly in Northumberland.
“The previous Conservative Government thought so little of the Hexham constituency that eight and a half years ago they built a school that is already deemed structurally unsafe.”
Responding to the comments, Northumberland Conservatives’ education lead Coun Guy Renner-Thompson said: “Once again Joe Morris is showing he knows nothing about the Hexham constituency or the schools in it.
“In Prudhoe, the Conservative Government worked with the Labour controlled council at the time to build the now closed Prudhoe High School. Any political point scoring there will fall on deaf ears and we are yet to hear of any plans from the new Labour Government for the future of the school.
“Working with the former Conservative Government we have engaged in an aggressive school buildings program which is unrivalled in England. Since 2017, £360 million has been spent or committed on school buildings in Northumberland. From £2.65 million in Haltwhistle Primary to £50 million for the new Northumberland Collage in Ashington, every corner of our county has seen transformational investment in their children. This includes brand new high schools in Ponteland and Hexham.
“Locally and nationally we have invested in our children and seen exam results jump up the international league tables. Labour plans for education threaten to undo years of improvements and harm the future of our children and young people.”