Playground warning due to school roof tile falls

Urgent repairs need to be made at a Sheffield school where roof tiles keep falling on to the playground below.

Sheffield Council said it had to address "immediate health and safety issues" at Carterknowle Junior School.

The school is due to have a full roof replacement in 2027 but until then the council will take "urgent measures" to secure the building, it said.

The council will spend £720,000 of funding from the Department of Education on the repairs.

The report added: "A recent condition survey has confirmed the roof at Carterknowle Junior School is in a severely deteriorated state. Internally, water ingress is causing ceilings to degrade.

"Although a commission has been issued for a full roof replacement, the main works will not begin until 2027.

"The building is continuing to deteriorate, and the current condition presents immediate health and safety risks with the potential to disrupt education provision."

The council said if the temporary repairs were not completed promptly, the water damage may worsen and parts of the school may need to be closed, "causing significant disruption to teaching" and potentially requiring pupils to be moved elsewhere.

The urgent interim repairs are set to include installing edge protection around the entire roof to catch any loose or falling materials, removing damaged suspended ceilings in classrooms and replacing them with flame-retardant sheeting as a temporary barrier.

A temporary scaffold structure will be constructed to prevent further weather damage. The work will allow the main roofing works to take place safely above classrooms.

The report added: "It will ensure the immediate safety of pupils, staff, and visitors, prevent further deterioration of the building and keep the school operational."

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