Parents 'on their knees' after flood shuts special school

Ravenswood School in Nailsea was shut two days into the new school term after rain poured through a temporary roof

Parents and carers of pupils at a special school say they are "on their knees" after it was forced to close because of flooding.

Ravenswood School in Nailsea, Somerset, closed two days into the new term after rain poured through a temporary roof.

North Somerset Council said repair work had started and home learning was being provided for the 137 pupils.

But parent Jessica Heslop said they were "exhausted" by the closure and the children "need routine and structure".

The flooding also caused electrical damage to the building.

The school, which takes pupils with complex needs, was undergoing a 12-week upgrade to its main building during the school holidays.

Ms Heslop, whose 11-year-old son attends the school, said his schooling has already been disrupted over the last 18 months due to the pandemic.

"It's so much more than learning for our children," she said.

"He is a very able young man, he just needs support. [The school] is a huge difference, it is the socialisation, it's his safe space, it's a second home to him."

She said she had already taken weeks off work to care for him and was "exhausted".

"Now I can't work again because there's no provision for my son," she said.

"We are on our knees, we are mentally drained. We just want to know when all of the children are going back."

Headteacher Mark Senior, said it was "understandably an extremely stressful time" for pupils and their families but they "have to put safety first."

While North Somerset Council said it was working with the school to "reopen the building as quickly as possible".

"It is hoped the main building could reopen on 27 September provided extensive work is complete," a spokesperson said.

They added that "possible alternative classroom space" would be found if repair work took "longer than expected to complete".