Latest news with #structuralissues
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Primary school shut as cracks discovered in walls
A primary school in Stoke-on-Trent says it has been forced to close after the discovery of cracks in the walls of the building. Steve Martin, headteacher of Goldenhill Primary Academy, said on Thursday the decision had been made to close the whole school as a precautionary measure. The issue was not related to asbestos, he said, and apologised for the inconvenience caused. "As always, the safety of our children and staff is our top priority," he said. "Please be assured that we are working closely with the relevant authorities to resolve the matter as quickly and safely as possible." He said the cracks had appeared over the past 48 hours and required investigation by structural specialists. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Primary school shut after ceiling tiles fall School structural issues will be repaired Council to spend £500,000 on urgent school repairs Goldenhill Primary Academy
BBC News
10-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Goldenhill Primary Academy shut as cracks discovered in walls
A primary school in Stoke-on-Trent says it has been forced to close after the discovery of cracks in the walls of the Martin, headteacher of Goldenhill Primary Academy, said on Thursday the decision had been made to close the whole school as a precautionary issue was not related to asbestos, he said, and apologised for the inconvenience caused."As always, the safety of our children and staff is our top priority," he said. "Please be assured that we are working closely with the relevant authorities to resolve the matter as quickly and safely as possible."He said the cracks had appeared over the past 48 hours and required investigation by structural specialists. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
05-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Rochester Pier: Medway Council 'looking into' pier damage survey
Volunteers who help maintain Rochester Pier say they have been told the structure will not be safe to reopen until at least pier opened to the public in September after a five-year closure but had to be shut again in April when Medway Council discovered structural Friends of Rochester Churchfields and Esplanade (Force), which helps maintain the structure, said the council informed the group the site would likely remain closed throughout 2025.A Medway Council spokesperson said: "Although we appreciate the pier being closed is disappointing, safety always needs to be our priority." The local authority said it was "looking into funding options" for a survey of the structure to assess "if any repairs need to be undertaken".The cost of repairs and a potential reopening date would depend on the inspection's findings, according to the council. A Force spokesperson said work on the structure would "help towards our goal of preserving the pier in the long term", and the group agreed that "public safety is the first priority".The group added it would "continue to work closely with the council to stay informed and to advocate for a safe reopening of the pier as soon as possible". Force had been helping refurbish the pier from its 2024 reopening and said it planned to expand use of the pier in future to generate funds for its maintenance. Rochester Pier was originally built in the 1880s and was used as a river access point for small boats and passenger tours.
BBC News
26-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Solihull primary school shut after classroom ceiling tiles fall down
A primary school in Solihull has been shut with immediate effect after tiles fell from a classroom ceiling. Parents of children who attend Meriden C of E Primary School have raised safety concerns and question why "longstanding structural issues" were not addressed earlier. The local authority school wrote to parents to say the incident in the unoccupied classroom on Tuesday was due to a the building's flat felt roof needing Metropolitan Borough Council said they are investigating the matter and arrangements have been made for pupils to access outdoor education nearby instead. The school said while it pays into a maintenance package annually, it has no say on how the money is spent. The single-storey 1960's building is due to have its roof replaced over the summer holidays - which was agreed earlier this year despite deterioration being identified eight years ago. An email to parents, seen by the BBC, said that other areas of the school also require refurbishment due to water ingress, but "it made no sense" to carry out the work prior to the roof being fixed. It also said a support prop is in place in a Year 4 classroom due to a rotten support beam - but children have been taught in other areas of the school since it has been identified. Parents anonymously told the BBC that they were concerned why "longstanding structural issues" at the school are taking so long to fix - calling out Solihull Council for the delay. They said: "This is no longer a matter of inconvenience, it is a crisis of confidence in the council's ability to provide safe, maintained learning environments. "Parents, carers, and members of the local community are increasingly concerned that our children's wellbeing is being compromised due to avoidable neglect."Our children deserve better."A Solihull Council spokesperson said it hopes children will return safely to classrooms soon and will keep parents said: "Whilst we are currently looking into the circumstances that led to this, our top priority is the welfare and education of the children. "As a result, we have closed the school building to assess the issue."Arrangements have been made for children to enjoy outdoor education nearby for the rest of this week." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
CBC
11-06-2025
- General
- CBC
New report details 'concerning' structural damage at Elizabeth Ziegler Public School
Social Sharing A crumbling façade is just the beginning of several major structural issues plaguing Elizabeth Zielger Public School (EZPS) in Waterloo, according to a long-awaited engineering report released Wednesday. The report, first mentioned at a community meeting in March, was ordered by the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) after bricks fell from the outside walls of EZPS, forcing a closure that at first lasted just two days, then two weeks, and now the remainder of this school year and next. But according to the report, engineers have discovered additional issues with the building, including steel-beamed headers, floor and roof joists that are moderately to severely corroded, posing "safety concerns to any occupants inside or around the building." The report continues by saying "repairing the deteriorated structural members is a critical step to reinstating occupancy for the school." School board's plan The board says they plan to repair the school by installing a new steel frame on the interior, with new foundations to support it. Once that has been completed, repairs to the façade can begin. Bill Lemon is the associate director of business services at WRDSB. He told CBC News the report is encouraging, mapping out "a way forward to restore the school and regain occupancy for the staff and students." "What I'm excited about is the proposed steel frame that's going to be incorporated into the building," said Lemon, adding that it "will allow us to use that building for a much longer period of time." But before work can begin, a design report for the restoration and repair of EZPS needs to be presented for approval to the City of Waterloo Municipal Heritage Committee. "We're hoping that we can have that sooner rather than later because that is an important step in this process for us to make sure that our proposed design meets with their expectations," said Lemon. Funding the repairs and restorations is also a concern. "It would be a capital project and we would be drawing on whole number of fiscal resources," said Lemon. "For the potential size of a project such as this, we would need to engage the ministry [of education] and make them aware," he said. Lemon said that "as it is right now … with some support, we would be able to manage that within our own resource envelope." A full cost of the project is not yet available. For parent Suzie Taka, the report finally being released brings some relief, but doesn't exactly put her fears to rest. "I don't love the idea that we need entirely new steel beams," said Taka, whose son had been attending EZPS for the past two years. "That feels concerning about what the state of the school was." However, despite news that damages far exceeded what she originally thought, Taka said she is glad to finally have some answers. "I'll be honest, I was actually thrilled when I first opened the email," she said. "We've all been most concerned about it being a tear down and the timeline." Now that the report has been released, Taka said she's curious what the next steps are. "I have big questions about what things will cost, what their plans are for funding, any timeline would be great and any contingency plans, if things become ongoing and they uncover more concerns," she said. "I think it's very hard when we keep getting these direct communications and we don't get to have an actual conversation." Communication and timelines are concerns shared by parent Ian McDonald, who has been vocal in his quest for answers from the school board and its trustees. He's concerned repairs won't be done in time. "There are only 15 months until the start of the 2026-2027 school year," he said in an email to CBC News. The WRDSB release containing the engineering report said the next update is expected on June 25.
