Pupils take letter to Downing Street over new school

Pupils at a primary school that suddenly shut last year have gone all the way to Downing Street to call for "urgent funding" to help build a replacement.

St Peter's C of E Junior School in Ruddington was forced to close in December over safety concerns.

Building work on a "temporary learning village" on the school grounds began in January, which will house pupils after the Easter holidays, but on Wednesday pupils went to London to express their concerns, with the letter handed into an officer at the home of the prime minister.

Head teacher Michael Bradley said everyone involved with the school was anxious to find a permanent solution.

"After Easter we are going to be in our temporary learning village, but what we're really wanting to make sure is that [it] is temporary, that in two to three years we're in a brand-new school, so we're here to ask the prime minister and the secretary of state for education for urgent funding to rebuild our school so our children have a bright future," Bradley said.

"The children have all signed the letter, they're all for it - they love [the school], they're really excited about being together again after Easter, but they're really determined to get a brand-new school built, for all the children and for future generations."

Nottinghamshire County Council said work on the learning village continued "to make good progress" and was due to open after the Easter school holidays.

The temporary site will be made up of a two-storey building with 10 classrooms and a single-storey site with a hall, kitchen, eating area, offices, three further classrooms and a separate special education needs unit.

The authority said the £6.5m costs have come from the Department for Education (DfE), while feasibility work for a permanent replacement "has also got the go-ahead, subject to the confirmation of further government funding".

Wayne Bexton, director of economy, environment and assets for the council, said that the long-term plan was still to build a permanent replacement.

"We continue to be in negotiation with the [DfE] as regards funding the permanent replacement of St Peter's," he said.

The DfE has been approached for comment.

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