Warwick Aylesford School closure 'like being in lockdown'

Siobhan McKenna said her daughter has been left "demoralised and unhappy"

Building issues at a Warwick school have left families feeling like they are "in lockdown", one parent has said.

Pupils at Aylesford School are yet to return full time because of asbestos and suspected reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

Some are being home-schooled, while others are alternating between home and the classroom.

The school said half of the site remained closed but temporary classrooms were being installed.

Hundreds of schools across the country have been affected by the presence of Raac, because of safety concerns surrounding the material.

However, many of those schools have seen a return to full-time face-to-face education.

Siobhan McKenna said her daughter, who is in Year 10 at Aylesford, recently started going back to the classroom two or three days a week.

Ms McKenna told BBC CWR: "It has been really awful watching your child become demotivated, demoralised and unhappy.

"It has been a horrible term. It is like being in lockdown but on our own in lockdown, because the rest of the world is carrying on without us."

Pupils at Aylesford School are yet to return to their classrooms full time

She said her daughter was effectively "expected to teach herself" when at home and that the situation was having an impact on students' exam preparations.

Ms McKenna and other parents are now calling on exam boards to be more lenient to affected children in years 10 and 11 who are due to sit their GCSEs.

Tim Hodgson, head teacher at Aylesford School, said the school was "not in any way responsible" for the issues, but said they were "totally committed to solving the problems that have been inherited".

It is hoped that all children can return to face-to-face learning when work on 22 temporary classrooms has finished.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: "All pupils at Aylesford School will be in face-to-face learning by the end of term.

"We will always endeavour to work with schools to continue with face-to-face learning but pupil and staff safety must come first."