A Crawley school needs an estimated £3m to replace part of its roof after damage led to tonnes of rain water flooding the first and ground floor.
At the end of the summer break, heavy rainfall saw part of the plastic roof at St Wilfrid’s School, in Southgate, split open, resulting in a deluge which caused ‘significant damage’ and impacted several classrooms. Two other sections of the roof are also taking in water.
While a lot of work was carried out to clean up and make things safe, the returning students were greeted with the sight of scaffolding, which is likely to stay in place until next summer.
Headteacher Michael Ferry said all steps were being taken to ensure the safety of students, staff and visitors.
He has informed parents and carers that the school will close the week before half-term while the last, more complex, scaffolding structure is erected over the dining area. While the school is closed, students will be set work on-line.
Mr Ferry added: “This decision was made with the safety of all concerned.
“As we move into the winter, I will continue to communicate with parents to keep them abreast of developments as and when I am able. Rest assured, everything that can be done, will be done to ensure that safety is paramount with as little disruption as possible.”
While St Wilfrid’s has been part of Crawley education since 1953, its current building has only been in place since 2009. This has prompted questions about why the roof has deteriorated so quickly.
There’s also the question of how the replacement of the damaged roof will be funded.
Neither the Department for Education nor West Sussex County Council will contribute. A spokesman for the council said that, as St Wilfrid’s is a Voluntary Aided school, the Catholic Diocese is responsible for building maintenance.
This is true – but the pot of money received by the Diocese each year for repairs and refurbishments at its various schools is not much more than the amount needed by St Wilfrid’s on its own.
Handing over such a sum to one school would leave a significant number of others at a disadvantage.
Mr Ferry said he was working with Diocesan representatives to effect a permanent solution. In a letter to parents, he reported that, despite previous repairs, part of the roof needed to be replaced while another part needed to be resealed.
He added: “The Diocese have been extremely helpful in supporting us with the erection of scaffolding – which is ongoing – which will, once complete, prevent any further water from entering the part of the roof which has been the problem and as such, we will not have any further issues in terms of water entering the building in the way it did a couple of weeks ago.”
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