Ipswich: Broke Hall Primary School delays term start over legionella

The primary school had been due to open to students on Tuesday before legionella was discovered

A school will delay welcoming pupils back from the summer break after the bacteria responsible for Legionnaires' disease was found at the site.

Broke Hall Primary School in Ipswich discovered traces of the legionella bug during "routine testing".

Students had been due to start term on Tuesday, but in a letter to parents, head teacher Ruth Fairs said the school's water supply may not be declared safe until 16 September.

The school has about 600 pupils.

Ms Fairs said there would be a return to home learning - as seen during the height of the Covid pandemic. The school is also exploring options to carry out lessons at alternative locations.

The head teacher said a "deep disinfection" of the school's water system would be carried out in tandem with testing to achieve "definitive expert confirmation" the primary school is safe to reopen.

She said: "We will not compromise the health of our learners and are committed to taking these precautions while endeavouring to provide as much consistency of education as possible."

It comes as more than a hundred schools across the country have been forced to close due to potentially dangerous concrete.