Royston: Parent says storm-damaged school has been failed

Scaffolding is due to be erected on Friday to begin repairs on the school

A school that has been partially closed due to storm damage has been failed, a parent said.

Tracy Durrant said that without government support the King James Academy in Royston, Hertfordshire, would not have the funding it needs.

The school was damaged by Storm Henk, which blew off part of the roof and caused "significant flooding".

Students in Years 7-10 have been receiving remote education since the start of term.

Ms Durrant, whose son is receiving remote education, added that Royston is a growing town that "needs a really good secondary school to ensure we have got provision for these kids".

Tracy Durrant said the school needs support from the Department for Education and the local authority

In a letter to parents, the school's headteacher, Lisa Plowman, said scaffolding will be put up on the site so that more students could receive face-to-face teaching next week.

The school is currently finalising plans for the rebuild, which it said will be an improvement on the current classrooms.

It is expected students will be taught in a temporary "school" on the King James senior site during the rebuilding process.

Ms Durrant questioned for how long the temporary buildings will be needed, and whether they are able to accommodate all the children.

She said it has caused concern among parents, and she would not blame any of them "if they have a knee-jerk reaction to move schools".

The cladding at the King James Academy was significantly damaged

King James Academy said it did not have any definitive answers as to how long the rebuild would take, or how long the temporary classrooms would be in place.

It added: "We can assure you that things are moving at pace."

The school has ruled out moving into the Roysia Middle School, which is nearby and has been empty for five years, owing to the amount of work the building would need to bring it up to standard.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "The safety of pupils is our top priority.

"The Department for Education has been working alongside the local authority and the trust to address the situation with a plan in place to minimise impact on pupils learning and to return all pupils to face-to-face learning."