Primary school faces closure for second time

6 hours ago

Austen ShakespeareLocal Democracy Reporting Service

News image — Council bosses said there was no viable way to rebuild Hazlewood Primary School

Andy Watson/BBC Hazlewood Primary School. There is a span of grass, then a concrete playground with a bike rack and picnic tables in front of the school buildings themselves. Two large buildings are visible. One, which appears to be older, is a single-storey building with a slanted roof. The other is a modern two-storey building with rows of glass windows on every side and a flat roof. Parents wait outside for their children to finish school. — Council bosses said there was no viable way to rebuild Hazlewood Primary School

A primary school is facing a renewed threat of closure, just months after an education body halted a decision to close its doors.

The future of Hazlewood Community Primary School, in Wideopen, has been thrown into question yet again, with North Tyneside Council bosses saying there is no viable way to rebuild a site in need of major repairs.

Families celebrated earlier this year when the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) blocked a plan to close Hazlewood and merge it with nearby Greenfields Primary School.

However, it did warn at the time the school could not continue indefinitely due to an "absence of certainty" regarding funds to replace its buildings.

Pupils are currently learning in modular classrooms due to structural concerns in the school's main building, linked to weak and brittle concrete.

An extraordinary meeting of the Labour-run authority's cabinet will be held on 5 October to consider whether to launch a fresh public consultation on what would be a standalone closure of the school, rather than a merger.

'Period of uncertainty'

The council's director of children's services, Rebecca Wall, said remedial works are only expected to provide a safe environment for only five to six years.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, she added there was no viable long-term rebuild option, nor any funding.

"The OSA recognised that the council followed the appropriate statutory process and acknowledged that Hazlewood's buildings cannot be used indefinitely without capital funding for a rebuild," Wall said.

"The adjudicator also confirmed that neighbouring schools have sufficient capacity to accommodate Hazlewood pupils, and said that any future proposal should be brought forward as a closure of Hazlewood Primary School rather than a merger."

Parents fiercely opposed the council's original plans, with a petition to save the school amassing almost 1,800 signatures.

However, despite vocal opposition, the school was marked for closure in September 2028 in January.

Wall said: "We recognise that the OSA determination has created a period of uncertainty for Hazlewood's staff, parents and the wider community, and we know this has been difficult and unsettling.

"The steps being taken now are intended to bring clarity to the situation and ensure everyone is fully informed as the process moves forward."

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