The school confirmed it will be closed for the remainder of this week, and said it’s doing everything in its power to resolve the maintenance issues
Alt Bridge School(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Parents are becoming increasing worried about the ongoing closure of a special school in Merseyside, after the headteacher confirmed it would remain closed for the rest of the week. Alt Bridge Special School in Huyton has been closed for the majority of this year, and there is no definite date for when pupils can return.
The Liverpool ECHO first became aware of the issues at Alt Bridge last week when we were contacted by a concerned parent who has children attending the special school. A subsequent report outlined the reasons given by the school for its closure, and the headteacher told us on Thursday (January 15) Alt Bridge would remain closed that week, but was doing everything in its power to reopen ‘as soon possible’.
The ECHO was again contacted this morning (January 19), by a different parent who told us: “The problem is the school is saying it’s providing online learning, but lots of the pupils can’t learn like that. It’s a special school so a lot of them rely on the one-to-one tuition and also the environment in the school.
“Then there’s the issue with parents, some of who work, or who, like me, can struggle to get their child working online at home. It’s not an ideal situation, and then there’s the value of the kids social interactions, and they’re all missing out on that now, as well as their education.
Alt Bridge School(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“This has been going on for weeks now, starting September with the heating issues, then the first week back in January the school was closed, then the parents were told to bring them in last week, and then a day after we’re told to come and pick them back up in the morning because of these problems they say are going on.
“That brings us to today, and the school is saying it will be closed for the rest of this week now. Worse still, they haven’t told us how long it will be before all this gets sorted and when the kids can return.
“It’s inconvenient to us parents, some of us have to take time off work and all that, but the bigger issue is the impact on the kids, because it’s messing around with their routine, and we can’t really reassure them by saying you’ll go back on this or that date, because the school haven’t told us anything definite.”
Since last week’s report, the ECHO has seen a number of communications to parents, from Alt Bridge’s headteacher Mrs Menagh, who was providing ongoing updates, the first of which was sent on Friday (January 17), it stated: “I fully recognise how challenging this situation is for our pupils, families and carers, and I am very grateful for your patience and understanding during this difficult period.
“I would like to reassure you that the teams coordinating the work onsite to repair the heating system have continued to work at pace to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the works required, including the digging up and replacement of pipework, this is not a quick fix. At present, we know that we will be unable to open fully next week.
“Despite the best efforts of all those involved in addressing both our heating and electrical issues, it has not been possible to safely balance both needs in a way that would allow the school to fully reopen at this time.
“Further testing of our heating and electrical systems is continuing. We have been advised that we may be able to open partially for some classes next week and that a staggered return of classes would be best to ensure we build confidence that we can remain partially open. We have formulated a plan to return three classes to the site from Tuesday next week.”
Alt Bridge School(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Mrs Menagh added: “Unfortunately, all other pupils will need to remain at home and continue to access the remote learning opportunities that we are providing throughout next week.
“Please remember that you have access to our staff every day during school hours as previously advised. I will provide a further update on Tuesday regarding any other classes who may be able to return to the site once we know more.
“I completely understand that this situation is far from ideal. Extended periods away from school and changes to our usual routines are not beneficial for our learners, and I appreciate how frustrating and worrying this must be for families.”
This message was followed by two follows up this morning, the first sent at 7:23am confirming Alt Bridge Special School will be closed for the rest of this week, and the second sent at 08:36am clarifying the school would be closed, except for two Year 7 classes and one Year 9 class.
The ECHO followed up with Knowsley Council for an update, and was told it continues to liaise with the contractors to progress the ‘extensive repair works’ to the heating system. A spokesperson for the council added: “We are also liaising with the school regularly to provide support whilst alternative learning options are being provided.
“Staff at the school are available to pupils and their parents / carers via the usual school contact methods – phone and email – as well as a dedicated phone line which has also been introduced.”
Asked for an update on the situation, Mrs Menagh told the ECHO: “The Health and safety of our staff and pupils is our priority and the decision to close the school was a last resort and not taken lightly. We are doing all that we can to ensure pupil learning continues, online learning is being provided and our staff are available throughout the school day.
“From tomorrow, we will be welcoming a small number of classes back and if the electrics can cope with demand, more will be welcomed back in a phased manner.
“Staff are also carrying out risk assessments for each pupil to identify any issues and take action where required.
“Contractors are on site working to repair the issues as soon as possible and we are in regular contact with parent and carers to keep them updated as this work continues.”