Hartlepool school reopens three days after being shut

Barnard Grove Primary School was rebuilt under the government's Priority School Building Programme

A primary school which was closed due to safety concerns is reopening on Thursday.

Barnard Grove Primary School in Hartlepool was closed on Monday after a Department for Education inspection of the external brickwork over half-term.

In 2015, it was rebuilt under the Priority School Building Programme.

Gill Alexander, the chief executive of Hartlepool Borough Council, said an independent survey found "the building is safe".

She said workmen may be on site over the weekend but "they will be carrying out purely precautionary checks and there is no cause for concern".

When the three-day closure was announced on Monday, council leader Christopher Akers-Belcher said he was "extremely angry and disappointed".