UPDATED: GREAT Sankey High School will remain closed for all but two year groups and a small number of vulnerable students, as a result of structural damage to a building caused by Storm Jocelyn.
In a letter released later today, the school thanked parents for their assistance and said the school had been evacuated quickly and in a calm atmosphere and that students had been a “credit to you.”
Following an assessment of the area damaged during the storm it had been decided to only re-open the school tomorrow and Friday for Year 11 and 13 students and a small cohort of “vulnerable children.”
The school will be safe for the number of students expected and allow classes to resume in exam year groups.
A large area of the site will be cordoned off to ensure their safety and this will not impact on lessons.
Students in other year groups will be able to complete work online.
Various contractors will be on site to help put the necessary plans in place to secure the site and an update for next week will be communicated as soon as possible.
All lessons for Year 11 & 13 students will take place in the sports hall or main building while the sixth form building will remain closed.
A Year 13 Parents’ Evening will proceed as planned on Thursday evening.
Emergency evacuation procedures were brought into place at around 9:45 am this morning as students were evacuated from the school premises, causing concern for parents.
Great Sankey High School headteacher Gary Evans explained that the school had been forced to close while engineers assessed the impact of the storm damage.
He said the school would communicate plans for the rest of the week later today.
Students will be set tasks to continue working from home.
One parent described seeing a hole in the side of the sixth-form building.
Working parents unable to collect their children have been advised to contact the school to make arrangements.
Earlier today a concerned parent contacted Warrington Worldwide stating: “An emergency evacuation of all pupils has just taken place at Great Sankey High School at 9:45 am this morning.
Children were told to wait in their form rooms until they were evacuated in single file, one form at a time and told to go home.
“No communication has been made with the parents at this point or explanation provided for what has taken place.”
