THREE schools in the Colchester borough which have been forced to keep pupils at home this week had building projects pulled by the Government.
Labour’s £55billion Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme promised to renew every secondary school in England, rebuilding half of them and refurbishing the rest.
It was axed by the Tory-led coalition government in 2010 in response to concerns over its cost and scope.
At least 13 schools across England which have now been found to have collapse-risk concrete were included in the BSF programme, including The Gilberd and Thomas Lord Audley in Colchester, and Tiptree’s Thurstable School.
Kitty Moss, whose daughter is a pupil at Thurstable School, where most students have been taught remotely this week, was deeply saddened to learn her daughter’s school’s funding had been scrapped.
She said: “This issue is yet again caused by the Government and underinvestment in the state school system. State schools need more funding.
“The school has responded quickly [to the concrete crisis] and I know and trust they’ll work very hard to get the children back in class.”
She praised the school’s staff for doing their best under challenging circumstances, adding that the Government is “more out of touch than ever with the state system”.
'We need answers and action'
Pam Cox, who is Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Colchester, said: “It is very frustrating to hear that three Colchester schools had funding withdrawn in 2010.
“This problem could have been fixed long ago if the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government had not scrapped Labour’s BSF programme.
“The priority now, though, is to get children back in the classroom and to give schools the funding they need to make this happen.”
Highwoods councillor Jocelyn Law and campaigner Gary Braddy, whose children are former Gilberd pupils, both agreed that parents need answers on why the Cameron-Clegg coalition U-turned on Labour’s construction plans.
What does the Government say?
Cabinet minister Grant Shapps defended the Tories’ record on school building. In an interview with Times Radio he suggested the Raac crisis would’ve occurred even if the Government continued with Labour’s former policy.
County councillor Tony Ball, responsible for education, said: “During the time of the BSF programme, Essex County Council, along with other local authorities, would review school buildings and identify where central government funding was required to make changes to school buildings to ensure they were fit for purpose - this might be to expand to accommodate more pupils, to build more modern facilities or for repairs.
“The council would take a view of the education estate across the county and these schools made up part of the BSF programme.
“When the BSF programme closed we would have reviewed individual needs and taken an appropriate approach to the next steps for each school and the building work that had been requested.”
Mr Ball added that County Hall remains committed to "urgently supporting" schools across the county to be able to return to face-to-face learning as quickly as possible.
Gary Braddy is the Labour candidate in the upcoming Highwoods by-election. Paul Smith (Con) and Simon Appleton (Lib) are also standing.
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