Rushcilffe MP James Naish praised local authorities, parents, staff and communities after the school was suddenly closed because of safety concerns.
James said in a statement:
‘The last 48 hours have been incredibly difficult for staff, parents and children at St Peter’s CofE Ruddington, but the way everyone has pulled together has been inspiring. The Department for Education told me yesterday that they’ve rarely seen children back in a learning environment so quickly after such a sudden, school-wide closure.
‘I want to thank everybody involved, notably the local authority which has led the response, and organisations in Ruddington and beyond who have offered space for the children to be educated – especially the staff at James Peacock Infant & Nursery School. I also want to thank parents for their understanding and patience.
‘The Department for Education is fully engaged, and I met the responsible minister, Josh MacAlister MP, yesterday to stress the need to limit both the scale and length of disruption, particularly for SEND children. I’m confident St Peter’s will be a priority in the weeks ahead.
‘We now need to give surveyors the time and space to assess the building properly for Nottinghamshire County Council and the Department for Education. This needs to happen quickly so we can make the case for extra funding beyond the £1.85 million already allocated for upgrades. I must be honest and say that I am worried about how long the surveying may take and how expensive remediation could be, but we will cross these hurdles over the next couple of weeks.
‘I am in touch with the head, the school’s governors, the diocese and the local authority which I have written to separately with some specific questions that they are looking into, and I’ll keep working with all parties to minimise disruption.’
