PARENTS at a school closed after the discovery of asbestos are anxious for their children to return to face-to-face learning in the new term.

The King Edmund School in Rochford was closed on November 15 after contractors brought in by the Department for Education (DfE) to lead the construction of a new 30-classroom building discovered “traces of asbestos” on the site.

The secondary school had been set to reopen on January 3 – but is now facing a further three weeks closure after the DfE reported delays making the site safe.

READ MORE

Before the Christmas break, headteacher Jonathan Osborn wrote to parents saying the school was working on “making use of other school sites to provide face-to-face education for some KES students”.

However, with the new school term set to start on Tuesday, parents have told the Echo they have yet to be informed of any such plans.

“We were under the impression that we would have an before the start of the term, but time is running out and we have yet to be told of any concrete plan,” one parent, who did not wish to be named, told the Echo.

“My son is sitting their GCSEs this year, and at this point they have already missed lots of vital lesson time.”

When the school first closed, pupils were left completing tasks via it’s online homework portal.

Only after two weeks were teachers allowed entry to the premises to collect the equipment necessary to run video call classes.

King Edmund School failed to respond when asked if plans to move pupils into other sites for in-person lessons had been finalised.

“It has been better since he got back into the Microsoft Teams lessons, but it’s still not the same as real in-person lessons,” the parent continued.

“With such important exams coming up, and so much time missed already, I am hoping something will be sorted soon.”

Mr Osborn previously told parents that pupils who are taking exams this year would be prioritised for in-person learning at other venues.

The DfE, which is solely responsible clearing the asbestos, says the delays to the reopening were made necessary when workers found further traces of asbestos at greater depth in the soil than first expected.