Parents have criticised plans to teach the 2024 intake of a Middlesbrough school at a temporary site, almost five miles away in Eston.
Since Outwood Riverside Academy was opened in 2020, pupils have been taught in temporary premises on Russell Street in Middlesbrough. Parents have now learned the site cannot accommodate additional pupils starting in September and they will be taught instead at the site of the former Eston Park Academy.
The former Eston school on Burns Road was left in a dangerous structural state following a major fire in 2018 and was flattened later that year. The site on Burns Road is already home to Outwood Alternative Provision and Outwood Normanby.
A letter posted on the school’s Facebook page from Steve Merrifield, associate executive principal, and Melissa Brant-Smith, academy principal, said they were “delighted” to secure the site for “a state-of-the-art facility”, which they say will feature “entirely self-contained” and “fit for purpose” buildings. Parents were told the temporary accommodation would feature classrooms, PE and dining facilities while free transport would be provided to and from Russell Street with a journey time of ten to 15 minutes.
“Our year seven students will start on this site from September 2024 and remain here for two years alongside the September 2025 year seven cohort while our new school is constructed for use,” said the letter. “The situation is, of course, not ideal and we understand the concerns that pupils, parents and carers may have.”
Comments have been left on the Facebook page from angry parents of children due to attend the school in September. One said: “Not ideal now that secondary school admissions have closed and choices can’t be changed.
“We were promised a facility close to the current building.” Another said: “Absolutely ridiculous now admissions have closed.”
While another wrote: “If I was to apply for my child a school in Redcar I’d be refused and told it’s a different district!! And different council!!”
Another wrote: “I’m disappointed as to the location as it was said it was going to be near to the current site. I’m now going to have two kids in totally different areas of the town!”
Plans for a 900-place Outwood Riverside Academy were supported by Middlesbrough Council in 2018. It was hoped the school would move to a new purpose built site in Middlehaven in 2023.
But there were delays to the project due to the pandemic and a DfE contract to build the school which had to be re-tendered. The completion date was pushed back to 2026.
With the school due to reach capacity in September, MP for Middlesbrough, Andy McDonald, and Middlesbrough Deputy Mayor and Executive Member for Education, Cllr Philippa Storey had urged the Department of Education to speed up the process. Following the latest development, Mr McDonald said: “Parents may well be incandescent about this and they are perfectly entitled to be.
“So many children are going to go through the entirety of secondary school being taught in temporary accommodation and now on top of that they are going to be bussed out of Middlesbrough as well. The Department for Education just doesn’t get it.
“They should have had this sorted years ago but we just get delay and delay and delay. I take my hat off to all of the staff and pupils at Outwood Riverside who are doing a fantastic job in circumstances out of their control.”
Cllr Storey said parents across Middlesbrough will now expect the department to “fully focus” on the opening of a permanent home for the school. “It really can’t come soon enough and has taken an excessive amount of time,” she said.
Regarding the temporary site, she said: “After many months of uncertainty and following lots of work behind the scenes I am glad to see that we finally have a solution – albeit not a perfect one. The quality of the education is the most important outcome and I’m confident this will continue for September’s intake, even with the logistical challenges that we will help the school to overcome.”
