State of Dudley school is raised in Parliament

Dudley MP Sonia Kumar raised conditions at Red Hall Primary School in Gornal Wood during a debate in the House of Commons. 

She said children's safety was at risk because of the school's split-site layout, while ageing buildings and vandalism had made life uncomfortable for both children and teachers.

Miss Kumar told the Commons that the school's layout, with buildings either side of Zoar Street, created a significant hazard for both staff and pupils when moving from one class to another.

Teachers had to put buckets around the school to catch water from leaks during wet weather not helped by the aged Victorian structures and the recent theft fo lead from the roofs.

She said the previous Labour government had backed plans to refurbish the school buildings and consolidate the campus on one side of the road, but the project was put on hold when the Conservatives took office in 2010.

"Red Hall Primary School's current situation is unacceptable," she told the Commons.

"The safety of our children and staff must be a priority," she said, asking education minister Stephen Morgan to meet with her to discuss the problems.

She called on the Government to reopen plans to address the problems.

“We must provide our children with an environment they can thrive in,” she added. 

Mr Morgan said the Government had increased capital funding to improve the condition of school buildings to £2.1billion for the next financial year. 

"This will include funding for Dudley local authority to invest in improving the condition of it’s maintained schools including Red Hall Primary,” he said.

Mr Morgan said he would be happy to meet Miss Kumar to discuss the problems.