No hot meals for pupils amid school's concrete fears

Some pupils at Hazlewood Community Primary School have been taught in a marquee

Parents of pupils at a school which had its buildings closed due to weak concrete are angry at a local authority for not being more "proactive".

Parts of Hazlewood Community Primary School in North Tyneside have been closed for several months, due to the risk of individual concrete blocks collapsing.

The closures have meant pupils have not had access to hot food, have had to use portable toilets and have been taught in a marquee.

North Tyneside Council said it was an "unprecedented" situation and that it was "listening" to concerns.

Hazlewood Community Primary School is one of three schools run by North Tyneside Council which have been affected by concrete issues in recent months.

The issues are not related to Raac, the concrete building material which led to schools across England being closed, according to the council.

Diane Scott, a parent of an eight-year-old and a five-year-old at the school, said the council had been "very reactive and not very proactive".

Since February, classes have been held in a marquee tent, a scout hut, a local library and a newer school building.

'Only hot meal'

The council held a meeting for parents on Monday.

It said a report into the structural issues facing the school had come back about three weeks ago and it was exploring the use of portacabins on the site.

But Ms Scott said the local authority should have sourced portacabins far earlier, considering the concrete issues were discovered in February.

The school's kitchen was closed due to the concrete concerns and so pupils had not been given hot food since February, she said.

“For some kids, that was their only hot meal a day,” said Ms Scott.

Director of resources Jon Ritchie said the council was working with the school to bring hot meals back to the school and was "close to a solution".

'Looking at options'

Ms Scott said teaching in a marquee was not "sustainable".

"They're terrible working conditions for teachers," she said.

Teachers have not had access to a staff room since February. However, a welfare cabin for teachers was set up on 16 May.

Mr Ritchie said the council was "looking at options for a suitable space for staff breaks".

"We are deploying significant time and resources to work on problems as they arise, as well as short and long-term solutions," he added.

The Department for Education said: "All pupils affected remain in face-to-face education and we are working closely with North Tyneside council to support them."