Union joins parents to protest over months of upheaval
We need the funding to get these kids back in school Craig Thompson, GMB
FAMILIES and the GMB Union have joined forces outside North Tyneside Council offices to protest about a school that has been partially closed since February.
Classes at Churchill Community College were disrupted after structural checks found cracking and gaps in concrete ceiling blocks.
The issue is not the same as Raac, the concrete building material which led to schools across England being closed earlier this year, but led to two the closure of two areas of the Wallsend school.
Around 200 Year 7 pupils have returned to remote learning after plans for alternative accommodation at the Cobalt Business Exchange fell through. The children could no longer occupy space at Monkseaton High School due to exams.
Union chiefs say for months the pupils’ education has been disrupted with reduced access to some practical lessons, including science, music and art and design. Some have also been unable to access hot school dinners for a short period. The GMB is calling for temporary mobile classrooms to get the children’s education back on track.
The GMB’s Craig Thompson, who also has a son at the school, said: “We are here as parents to send a message to the Government that they must fully fund the rebuilding and restructuring of the four schools in North Tyneside that have been impacted by structural issues.
“We need the funding to get these kids back to school and in normal education.”
Mr Thompson’s concerns were echoed by current and future pupils and their parents who joined the protest.
Iala Young, 13, a Year 8 pupil, said: “Every day we have to travel to a different school and we are trapped in the same room all day. It has a big impact because it is harder to concentrate when you are in the same environment all of the time.”
Hayley Coates, whose 11-year-old son Thomas will start Churchill Community College next year, said: “I wanted to show my support because I just feel like the kids need to be in the school, and they are missing out on so much. They are not getting their practical lessons. I want this sorted out by September.”
Paul Germaney, who has a 14-year-old stepson and a stepdaughter at the school, said: “All my stepchildren want to do is be in the classrooms and learn. The councillors don’t seem to be giving it a second thought and it’s wrong.”
Sarah Russell has a daughter at the school. She said: “There was so much disruption with Covid and now this. When is it going to end?”
North Tyneside Council has already apologised for the return to remote learning and said it was looking to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Jon Ritchie, director of resources at North Tyneside Council, previously said: “In recent months we have worked tirelessly to keep children at Churchill, and other impacted schools, safe and in faceto-face learning, and we are disappointed to have not been able to deliver this for these pupils in the timescale we hoped.
“Temporarily using a business building allows us to maintain face-to-face learning, but adaptations must be made to ensure it’s safe and appropriate for pupils to use as an education site.
“This is a short-term measure during the exam period at Monkseaton High School, which meant that school could not offer the space it has over recent months and will do again from mid-June.
“One final issue was identified last week and unfortunately this has resulted in a move to remote learning. We apologise for the impact this has had on children and families and we are doing everything we can to resolve this as quickly as possible.”