FLOOD DAMAGE REPAIR PROGRAMME
UPDATES
Letter to parents and carers - click here
Update 14: Sunday 2nd September
After an exceptionally busy week, unless there are any unexpected problems, the school will open on Thursday for the children as described in the letter (link above) - with one significant difference. After a lot of hard work, the other two Year 5/6 classrooms will be ready, meaning that only the Year 3 children will be in the temporary buildings. The Year 3 classrooms could not be completed due to limitations of time, condition and their location. Of course, the rest of the classrooms and the school will be completed as soon as possible.
Update 13: Tuesday 28th August
The temporary buildings are now on the school site and carpet laying has started.
Update 12: Sunday 26th August
Work is progressing well and we expect to have many of the classrooms ready for use on September 6th. The temporary classrooms are due to arrive on Tuesday.
The table supplier assured us that the tables would be delivered by the end of August - unfortunately, they now say mid to late September! At this late date it proved impossible to order new furniture from elsewhere, with guaranteed delivery. After a lot of phone calls and with help from Council staff, we now expect used and temporary tables to arrive just before we open. These are on loan or surplus furniture from other schools. They may not exactly meet our requirements, but without tables we would not be able to operate.
Update 11: Sunday 19th August - revised Monday 20th August
All of the classrooms expected to be open in September have had most of their floors renewed and we are expecting carpets for some of them next week. Some classrooms have been repainted and are looking really good again. Work mentioned in the previous updates has continued.
Temporary classrooms are expected to arrive on Monday (they didn't, due to circumstances beyond our control, but should still be at school in time) and with those in place we should be able to accommodate the whole school.
Parents, carers and staff should receive a letter by the end of the week about when the school will reopen. Due to the significant work which still needs to be done, it is probable that the opening day for children will be Thursday 6th September. New starters are expected to join the school on either Thursday or Friday, or the first days of the following week and the letter gives details.
Update 10: Sunday 12th August
The reinstatement work at the school has started in the areas and classrooms which are dry enough and part of the first phase of work. This has included renewing some concrete floors, replastering and rebuilding walls and replacing pipe boxing, as well as replacing door frames around the school.
Update 9: Sunday 5th August
In the couple of weeks since the end of term there has been a lot of activity at the school in preparation for reopening as soon as possible. Up until this point, most of what has happened has been drying out, cleaning and stripping out all of the parts of the building, as well as planning the whole project, which involves a range of different contractors.
As time has gone on the scale of the project has become greater, now including some replacement walls, resiting of heating systems and extensive redecoration. However, the newer parts of the building have dried out well and this has reduced the amount of plaster which will have to be removed.
From next week contractors will be starting the reinstatement process.
Alongside the building work, replacement furniture has been ordered (although it is unclear when this will be available) and there has been a lot of work put in to compiling lists of the school's losses and replacement needs. That will be an ongoing job next term.
The plan for September remains as noted in Update 8 below - to have as many classrooms open as possible, with some temporary classrooms also in use. Some areas of the school will not be ready for the start of term because the classrooms have to take precedence in planning the reinstatement, but the expectation is that all the children will be able to start back at school in September.
Update 8: Saturday 21st July
Huge thanks to everybody who has helped to make the end of the school year and the school's time at Wolfreton go so well, including the children, parents, carers, Acre Heads staff and governors, Wolfreton staff, building contractors and Council staff.
The latest plan for September is to open some classrooms for use as quickly as possible and have some temporary buildings as well. How much of the school can be ready still depends on many things, as noted in Update 7 below.
Also as noted in Update 7, parents and carers need to be aware that the start of the school term is likely to be later than planned, to give time to set up classrooms for use. When more is known about the timescale for this, letters will be sent out to parents and carers.
Update 7: Saturday 14th July
This is part of the text of a letter which was sent to all parents and carers towards the end of the summer term on Tuesday.
Anlaby Acre Heads at Wolfreton
Thank you for your ongoing patience and support during what has been a
difficult time for the area and the school. I am pleased to say that the
children’s time at Wolfreton is going very well. Although our resources
are more limited, particularly the space available, the children are
coping well, supported by the staff who have worked hard to make it the
best experience possible, including some special activities like the
theatre show last Friday.
Work at Acre Heads
Back at the school, a team of staff there have kept the administrative
functions of the school going and overseen a huge amount of work in the
building, helping us move forward towards reopening.
At the school, as many of you may know from the school’s website, the majority of the furniture has now been disposed of, the floor coverings have been removed and much of the woodwork has been taken out. Staff and contractors have worked hard to prepare the school for the next steps in replacing all of those things.
The amount of work which has to be done has become clearer over time and although we have very quickly done as much as we can as a school, with support from the Council, much of the rest of the work depends on how quickly the school dries out, contractors can get in to the school and orders for furniture can be fulfilled. It is very clear now that this work will take some time and that the school building will not all be ready for September.
Next term
I am pleased to be able to let you know that the Council have informed
us that they are planning to provide the school with a set of temporary
buildings on the school site – which is by far the best alternative and
what it was hoped would happen if the period of refurbishment was going
to last beyond the summer holiday. I am also pleased to let you know
that the overall plan includes opening parts of the school fully as soon
as they are available, so that the children are not in the temporary
buildings for any longer than is necessary. Again, the timescales for
this are not yet known, but we will be pushing for the earliest return
to our building possible.
As many of you will remember, the school used to have a number of temporary buildings on site and so we have a lot of successful experience in working with them and although many routines will be different, it will mean that the school will be able to continue where it is supposed to be, at the centre of the community it serves.
Plans are presently being made by the Council for the setting up of the temporary buildings and until we have been informed where they will be installed on the site and how many there will be, there is little more I can let you know for the moment. It is possible that the school will open a couple of days later in September than planned, because staff will need time to get the classrooms ready for use. When I know more about all of this, I will let you know. This is most likely to be via a letter in the post during the summer break.
Update 6: Saturday 7th July
The school has settled in well at Wolfreton Upper School and the
children have proved yet again just how sensible they can be and how
well they can cope with all the changes which have had to be made.
The staff have worked exceptionally hard to make the transfer as
successful as possible. There are some pictures of the children
enjoying their time at Wolfreton here.
Back at the school, the extent of the damage and the work to be done is becoming clearer every day. The floor coverings have all been removed, as has much of the internal woodwork, including fitted units. Industrial dehumidifiers are helping to dry the building out. The school will need to be almost completely refurnished and there will need to be work done on the walls at low levels, which may lead to further redecoration. Much of the school equipment and many of the books were saved by moving as much as possible to higher levels, but there are still many educational purchases which will need to be made.
A decision regarding the timescale before the school can reopen is still to be made by the Council.
When the school reopens, it will feel like a new school again, with brand new furniture, floor coverings, decoration and equipment. That is certainly something to look forward to and every effort is being made to make that happen as soon as possible!
John Bennett
Headteacher
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION Buses are now taking the children to Wolfreton Upper School. Unfortunately the buses are not available at normal school times and therefore the new times are as follows. 9:20am 2:45pm Please remember that there is no shelter available at the school. Please do not bring or send your child to arrive any earlier than 9:15am and make arrangements for you child to be able to be collected or go home at 2:45pm. Obviously, the bus times rely on traffic, weather and road conditions, but these times will be kept to as much as possible. I am very sorry about the inconvenience these changes will cause, which are beyond the school's control. All other arrangements are as in the letters sent to parents and carers. Letter sent on first day at Wolfreton Initial letter to parents and carers John Bennett |
The
school and the Council are planning for the school to
reopen for business as soon as possible.
Please listen
to Radio Humberside and check this
website for changes in details.
Updates archive for the school
community
Update 5: Friday 2nd July -
Late afternoon
Details for the transport on Wednesday have just been confirmed by the
Council. Unfortunately, the timings have had to be changed (see
above). Buses will be provided which meet the Council's health and
safety requirements for school transport.
Update 4: Saturday 30th June -
Afternoon
Throughout the day contractors have been working on removing the
flooring from the school.
Update 3: Friday 29th June -
Morning
Unfortunately, due to a technical fault not related to the school, an
update could not be posted until now.
The big news is that from next Wednesday the plan is to relocate the whole school temporarily to Wolfreton Upper School, where Acre Heads staff will teach their classes until the end of term.
A suite of ten rooms will be made available to Acre Heads from Wednesday and the children will be taken by bus to their ‘temporary’ school each day. We are expecting to be leaving Acre Heads from 8:50am and returning for 3:30pm.
If transport arrangements can be finalised by the Council in time, parents and carers should receive brief phone calls about this on Friday and a detailed letter on either Monday or Tuesday, depending on the post.
The most important thing in those messages will be a request to send or bring the children to Acre Heads as normal next Wednesday, with suitable outdoor clothing and a packed lunch.
John Bennett
Headteacher
Update 2: Thursday 28th June -
Morning
Following visits from a number of surveyors and contractors it is now
clear that the drying out and replacement of the flooring will take some
time and it has therefore been announced that the school will be closed
for the rest of this term.
The Council are working to find alternative temporary accommodation for classes, probably at other schools. As soon as that has been arranged parents and carers will be informed, either by telephone or by post.
Obviously this is all a major operation for the school and we appreciate both your support and patience as we deal with the situation.
John Bennett
Headteacher
Update 1: Wednesday 27th June -
Afternoon
We plan to reopen as soon as possible, but it will take time to be ready
to do that - how much time will depend on how quickly some things can
happen - the only real problems are damp and lack of carpets.
The main damage to the school is to carpets, books and equipment at low levels. The school appears to be structurally sound and we have water, gas, toilets and electricity.
The plan is to dispose of all of the carpets, dry out the school, lay new carpets and repair or redecorate other damaged areas. Once we have new carpets down we should be able to reopen.
As I write this most of the carpets are already out of the building and we have dehumidifiers helping to dry rooms out. Things are progressing well.
I cannot give parents and carers a definite date when we will reopen, because that relies on how quickly the school dries out and new carpets can be fitted. Nor can I let parents know of any alternative arrangements for the children, since that kind of thing is being coordinated by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
The school will certainly be closed for the rest of this week, please do listen to Radio Humberside for further announcements or check back at this website for updates.
Many thanks to everybody who has helped or offered to help at the school, we really have appreciated all of the support.
John Bennett
Headteacher
Pictures of the flooding of the junior playground.
Once the drains were working again and the rain had stopped, all this water was gone in less than two hours!
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