A vacant former middle school was reportedly offered as a temporary site for students at Prudhoe Community High School – only to be rejected by the Government, it has been claimed.
Hexham Middle School closed in 2021, but is just ten miles from the high school. The deputy leader of Northumberland Conservatives has claimed that the county council offered the middle school on Wanless Lane to the Department for Education as a potential solution after the high school was closed due to safety fears over structural issues.
Pupils are currently attending school on Wearside at Sunderland College’s Washington Campus, which is almost twice as far away at 17 miles. Currently, pupils’ days are cut short in order to miss heavy traffic on the A1.
In comparison, there are existing public transport routes by both train and bus between Hexham and Prudhoe. Coun Richard Wearmouth accused the Government of taking the “cheap option”.
His comments came after Hexham’s Labour MP Joe Morris criticised the previous Tory Government for building a school that was deemed structurally unsafe after just eight years in operation.
Coun Wearmouth said: “I must be very clear – kids in Prudhoe are having to travel all the way to Washington for their education because of a choice made by this Labour Government.
“The Conservative-run council offered to bring Hexham Middle School back into use as an emergency measure while the issues around Prudhoe High School were investigated by the Department for Education. That offer was turned down in favour of bussing kids to Washington – despite it meaning students having reduced hours of learning to allow for the travel chaos in the associated commute.
“Refitting the middle school may have cost the DfE a bit more money but it would have been a far more sensible location for learning. In my view Labour took the cheap option and it’s Prudhoe kids facing the consequences.”
Prudhoe High School, which was completed in 2017, closed in February after cracks were discovered in the building’s structure. Following initial inspections, the site was deemed unsafe.
An ongoing investigation is being carried out to look at the possible causes of the issues and potential solutions. Coun Wearmouth felt the Government had left parents and pupils in the dark for too long.
He said: “Labour continue to dodge the big question – what will happen to Prudhoe High School? Officials at the DfE built the school and should know it inside out, so why is it taking so long to tell us what’s happening?
“The council stands ready to help find a site if a new school is required and go as fast as we can through proper planning processes. But where is the commitment from Labour?
“Why have they not said they will make whatever funds are needed available to fix or replace the school? That is a basic and simple question. Labour are letting down kids in Prudhoe.”
The Department for Education was contacted for comment, but had not responded at the time of writing.
