School partially shuts over building safety

Concerns have been raised over balconies in the school

Hundreds of students from a Shropshire school are learning virtually from home, after a structural engineer deemed part of the building unsafe.

Some parts of William Brookes school in Much Wenlock have been closed over the safety of balconies.

The 3-18 Trust, which runs the school, said priority for on-site teaching would be given to Year 7 and Year 11, with other students having to do "live lessons" from home from Tuesday.

It added that work was due to begin on Thursday.

Chief executive of the trust, David O'Toole, said it had been a matter of "real frustration".

He told the BBC that issues around open balconies on the site had been raised about 18 months ago, with concerns that children could fall from them.

Subsequently, the balconies were blocked off by full-height partitions.

However, further problems had since been discovered, and the decision to close was made following the structural engineer's report.

In October 2023, staff at the school planned and subsequently cancelled strikes about behaviour and safety, which included the balconies.

In June 2024, Ofsted downgraded the school from good to requires improvement.