Fears over Norfolk school buildings after emergency closures

Avenue Junior School in Norwich informed parents only on Tuesday evening that it would not be opening the following day, after "urgent concerns" were identified with its roof.

Parents were then told on Wednesday that the closure would continue for the rest of the week, after issues were found in five classrooms and three other areas.

Avenue is the third school this September to close due to structural problems, following Fakenham Junior School and Reepham Primary the week before.

The issues at Fakenham and Reepham sparked checks at 27 other schools, including Avenue Junior School.

After checks at the Golden Triangle site, surveyors advised the school that five of its classrooms were in need of urgent repairs before they could be used.

Parents will learn by the end of this week what will happen next, with school leaders looking to use temporary buildings and repurpose other spaces to replace the closed classrooms as soon as possible.

And with other schools carrying out similar checks, it remains to be seen whether there will be further disruption elsewhere.

The debacle is reminiscent of the autumn term of 2023, when last-minute changes to government guidelines around reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete caused chaos in schools nationwide. However, only one school in Norfolk was ultimately affected.

Union leaders have hit out at the situation, saying it is the result of years of underfunding in schools and poor forward planning.

Scott Lyons, of the National Education Union (Image: Archant)

Scott Lyons, district secretary of the National Education Union in Norfolk, said: "The problem has been pushed further and further down the line, meaning we're now looking at urgent work rather than remedial work.

"There is a lot of anxiety now about the state of schools and it does not feel like long before something catastrophic happens."

Bob Groome, from the NEU (Image: Archant)

Fellow NEU representative Bob Groome, who has long campaigned over the condition of school buildings, added: "We were lucky in Norfolk to only have the one RAAC school, but this seems to be a result of years of schools not being properly maintained.

"If schools are having to be closed, what is more disruptive than that? Both for the children's education and their parents, who have to arrange childcare.

"It is an extremely worrying situation and we should not be in the position of closures coming straight out of the summer holidays."

The latest issues come two years after an official report warned that more than 100 of Norfolk's school buildings were "at risk of immediate failure".

In 2022 the Conditions of School Buildings Survey, conducted by the Department of Education, found that 121 of the county's schools were so dilapidated they were at immediate risk.

Anxious parents are now waiting to learn whether Avenue will be the only school affected following the latest checks.

Penny Carptenter, cabinet member for children's services at Norfolk County Council (Image: Norfolk Conservatives)

Penny Carpenter, cabinet member for children's services at Norfolk County Council said: "We carry out surveys of maintained schools to assess the condition of buildings and ensure that children can learn in a safe environment.

"This latest issue, which was raised last week, relates to schools with ceilings made of lath and plaster, which were used before the mid 20th century.

"We are inspecting schools that have this material as a precaution because the safety of children is always our first priority."