Northumberland & Newcastle School Buildings: Safety, Funding, and Student Futures

This episode explores a parliamentary debate on the state of school buildings in Northumberland and Newcastle. The discussion highlights concerns about crumbling infrastructure, like the closure of Prudhoe community high school due to structural cracks just nine years after being built. MPs also raise issues like mouldy toilets and inadequate investment in other schools. The debate covers the impact of these conditions on students' education and well-being, the responsibilities of local councils and the government, and calls for increased investment and better maintenance standards. The government responds, detailing increased funding and rebuilding efforts.

Key Takeaways

• School buildings in Northumberland and Newcastle have significant condition issues, including structural problems, mould, and poor toilet facilities.
• The closure of Prudhoe community high school due to cracks disrupted students, particularly those preparing for exams.
• Investing in school buildings is seen as investing in students' education and future.
• There is discussion about the responsibility for poor conditions, including the design/cost of schools built under previous programmes and the role of local councils.
• The current government is increasing investment in school buildings and launching rebuilding projects.
• Ensuring student and staff safety is paramount.

Discussion: How important do you think the physical condition and safety of a school building are for students to be able to learn effectively and feel supported?

Source: School Buildings: Northumberland and Newcastle
Volume 767: debated on Tuesday 20 May 2025

Chapters

• 0:45 Prudhoe Community High School
• 2:08 Berwick Community High School
• 3:15 Leaked reports
• 3:48 Broader impact - community pride/rural
• 4:30 Government support, investment and responsibilities
• 5:45 Conclusions

Transcript

Amy: 0:00

Hello, and welcome to The Bench Report. You're listening to Amy and Ivan. Hello. Today we're looking at the condition of school buildings, specifically in Northumberland and Newcastle. We've got a parliamentary debate as our main source, and we really want to get to the heart of what these issues mean for the students there.

Ivan: 0:22

Well, the first thing that really stands out for the debate is the dedication of the teachers and staff.

Amy: 0:28

Right. Despite the challenges with the buildings themselves.

Ivan: 0:30

Exactly. Places like Queen Elizabeth High School, Salifah School, Hexa Middle, Longhorsley St. Helens. They were all mentioned as examples of staff really committed, you know, even when things aren't ideal.

Amy: 0:45

That commitment makes what happened at Pruitt Hill Community High School particularly stark, doesn't it?

Ivan: 0:50

It really does. Finding structural cracks just before GCSEs and A-levels. I mean, the timing.

Amy: 0:56

And the building itself isn't even old, less than nine years, built under that priority school building program from the last government.

Ivan: 1:02

Which sort of begs the question, how does a relatively new school end up with serious structural problems so fast?

Amy: 1:10

You have to wonder. And the impact. having to relocate all those Prudhoe students to Washington. A

Ivan: 1:17

huge effort involved there, but it shows how urgent it was.

Amy: 1:20

Joe Morris, the MP for Hexham, he was quite direct about it.

Ivan: 1:24

What did he say?

Amy: 1:24

He basically argued it showed a kind of disregard from the previous government since their whole building program was supposed to fix the worst schools.

Ivan: 1:34

But Prudhoe wasn't one of the worst or shouldn't have been being so new. It's sort of the opposite outcome.

Amy: 1:39

Precisely.

Ivan: 1:40

And then another MP, Jim Shannon, Brought up warranties.

Amy: 1:44

Ah, that's interesting. Like for household goods.

Ivan: 1:46

Yeah, his point was, shouldn't there be something similar for major public projects like schools? Who's accountable when construction fails? It's a fair question, isn't it?

Amy: 1:55

It really is. There's also a personal element here for the MP who raised the initial issue. Oh. A family member attended Prudhoe Community High School. So you can imagine that adds a certain urgency for him.

Ivan: 2:07

Understandably. And it wasn't just Prudhoe being discussed, was it?

Amy: 2:10

No, definitely not. Concerns about other schools in Northumberland came up. Berwick Academy, for instance.

Ivan: 2:16

Formerly Berwick Community High School. What were the issues there?

Amy: 2:20

Things like... black mold in student toilets and delays, significant delays in plan rebuilding. They had a county council plan from 2021.

Ivan: 2:31

But it's stalled.

Amy: 2:33

Seems like it. Still waiting for the outline business case. It doesn't exactly scream progress.

Ivan: 2:37

And that led to wider criticism.

Amy: 2:39

Yes. Accusations of a kind of manana attitude from Northumberland County Council, not just on buildings, but also send transport issues.

Ivan: 2:47

It's interesting alongside that to hear a quote from that was mentioned from a former conservative education minister.

Amy: 2:54

What was the quote?

Ivan: 2:55

Something about how their schools were built one-third cheaper per square meter on average than under the earlier Building Schools for the Future program.

Amy: 3:04

Which inevitably makes you ask, did cutting costs contribute to some of these problems down the line?

Ivan: 3:10

It's a question that hangs in the air, certainly.

Amy: 3:15

And then there was that leaked report.

Ivan: 3:17

Ah, the one indicating a senior DFE official flagged an upcoming risk three years ago.

Amy: 3:23

That many schools were potentially a risk to life. That's quite chilling.

Ivan: 3:28

Especially contrasted with reports that Prudhoe It looked fine externally when it reopened.

Amy: 3:33

So it really fuels those calls for a proper investigation into Prudhoe. What exactly went wrong?

Ivan: 3:39

And demands for an apology to the students for all that disruption. It must have been incredibly destabilizing.

Amy: 3:46

Absolutely. Another MP, Lee Pitcher, also made a good point about the broader impact.

Ivan: 3:52

How so?

Amy: 3:52

About how the physical state of a school affects not just learning, but also, you know, community pride. A building you can be proud of matters.

Ivan: 4:00

That's true. And the challenges for rural schools were highlighted, too. Hayden Bridge High School was an example.

Amy: 4:05

Right. Huge catchment area, funding needs, and the top concern raised by students.

Ivan: 4:10

Let me guess. Toilets.

Amy: 4:12

The condition of the toilets. It often comes down to basics, doesn't it? Though they did mention the RISE program. offering some support.

Ivan: 4:19

And inevitably, the political angle came up.

Amy: 4:21

Yes. The argument that these problems reflect 14 years of conservative neglect in the Northeast, that was definitely part of the debate.

Ivan: 4:30

Of course, it's important to note that support was acknowledged, too.

Amy: 4:33

Yes. The Department for Education helping Prudhoe and Sunderland College stepping in with space.

Ivan: 4:38

And the government response. The Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Education spoke?

Amy: 4:43

They did. They acknowledged inheriting schools in dire need of repair after the Building Schools for the Future program was canceled.

Ivan: 4:52

And pointed to current investment.

Amy: 4:54

Yeah. Talked about increased government spending, $2.1 billion this financial year for school conditions, up from $1.8 billion and $1.4 million for the current 100 rebuilding projects.

Ivan: 5:06

Including projects in Northumberland and Newcastle specifically?

Amy: 5:09

Yes. Those were mentioned as being part of the ongoing program. They also mentioned support for dealing with RAC, that aerated concrete issue.

Ivan: 5:19

And the government's position on responsibility.

Amy: 5:21

Basically, that local authorities and academy trusts are responsible for day-to-day maintenance. The department provides funding, guidance, programs.

Ivan: 5:29

And steps in for major safety issues, presumably like Prudhoe.

Amy: 5:32

Exactly. They stated the investigation into Prudhoe is ongoing and they view it as an isolated incident for now.

Ivan: 5:41

And mentioned new school estate management standards being published recently.

Amy: 5:44

Right. So the overall message from the government was a commitment to improving school buildings.

Ivan: 5:49

So quite a lot discussed from specific building failures to broader funding and responsibility questions.

Amy: 5:55

It really highlights how crucial safe functional school buildings are for education for well-being for communities in Northumberland, Newcastle Take care. Take care.