During the school holiday period, the Enquire Learning Trust arranged for new windows to be installed in the upper and lower school buildings, funded through Government capital funds. Unfortunately, the installation company ran into difficulty when it was discovered that structural work needed to be undertaken in order to make the lower school hall safe once the old windows had been removed. Although there was an agreement that the school would be clean and safe for staff and children to return by the start of September, this was not upheld. It is for this reason that I made the very difficult decision today not to reopen the school to children until Wednesday 5th September on the grounds of health and safety, with the decision authorised by the CEO of the Enquire Learning Trust.
Today, my day has consisted of meetings with the Estate Manager and Chief Operations Officer for the Enquire Learning Trust, along with the site manager and project manager for the window installation project. I have outlined my disappointment and frustration and explained the negative impact this disruption will have on our parents. I apologise for the inconvenience caused and for disappointing children who have been looking forward to starting school at Roseberry for the first time or returning to their new classes.
Following a security site audit that identified free access to the site throughout the day and that children could potentially leave the site unaccompanied, the Enquire Learning Trust also arranged for security gates to be installed during the break. The gates are on a timer system so that they are open for parents and children to access our site before and after school but locked when all children are in school. Although the installation of the gates has changed the look of the school entrance somewhat, it will ensure that children are unable to leave the premises during school time and that we are aware of any visitors to the school site throughout the day. If you need to gain access to the school site when the gates are locked, please press the buzzer and a member of school staff will grant you access – you are still very welcome!
I have been in contact with the contractors who installed the gates to ensure that the main pedestrian gate may be secured in an open position at 90 degrees during drop off and pick up time, as the gate is quite heavy. This will be done as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding at this time of upheaval. I know that you will appreciate that this has been completely out of my control and understand that the decisions made today were made in the interest of keeping everyone safe.
I look forward to welcoming you all on Wednesday and to a superb school year!