Primary school shut after ceiling tiles fall

The single-story school, built in the 1960's, is due a replacement of its flat felt roof

A primary school in Solihull has been shut with immediate effect after tiles fell from a classroom ceiling.

Parents of children who attend Meriden C of E Primary School have raised safety concerns and question why "longstanding structural issues" were not addressed earlier.

The local authority school wrote to parents to say the incident in the unoccupied classroom on Tuesday was due to a the building's flat felt roof needing replacement.

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council said they are investigating the matter and arrangements have been made for pupils to access outdoor education nearby instead.

The school said while it pays into a maintenance package annually, it has no say on how the money is spent by the council who manage it.

The single-storey 1960's building is due to have its roof replaced over the summer holidays - which was agreed earlier this year despite deterioration being identified eight years ago.

An email to parents, seen by the BBC, said that other areas of the school also require refurbishment due to water ingress, but "it made no sense" to carry out the work prior to the roof being fixed.

It also said a support prop is in place in a Year 4 classroom due to a rotten support beam - but children have been taught in other areas of the school since it has been identified.

Parents anonymously told the BBC that they were concerned why "longstanding structural issues" at the school are taking so long to fix - calling out Solihull Council for the delay.

They said: "This is no longer a matter of inconvenience, it is a crisis of confidence in the council's ability to provide safe, maintained learning environments.

"Parents, carers, and members of the local community are increasingly concerned that our children's wellbeing is being compromised due to avoidable neglect.

"Our children deserve better."

A Solihull Council spokesperson said it hopes children will return safely to classrooms soon and will keep parents updated.

They said: "Whilst we are currently looking into the circumstances that led to this, our top priority is the welfare and education of the children.

"As a result, we have closed the school building to assess the issue.

"Arrangements have been made for children to enjoy outdoor education nearby for the rest of this week."