School governors to rethink building plan

Governors of a Wednesbury school who want to close its kitchen to build new classrooms have agreed to look again at their plans.

Education bosses in the borough have now stepped in to offer brand new temporary classrooms to replace outdated mobiles which are close to failing health and safety checks at Mesty Croft Primary School. Teachers had proposed offering meals brought in by a private company or a meals on wheels style service from another school if the plan goes ahead.

They said they had no other option than to spend £50,000 on re-fitting the kitchen because Sandwell Council did not have the funds to help them build an extension.

But the local authority has asked governors to re-think the plan and has promised to provide two new mobile buildings, with toilets, to tide the St Luke's Road school over for a few years.

Education chief Councillor Ian Jones said: "The school is in wave two of our build program so it would be eligible for funding, just not straight away. They would be able to get the funding within three or four years.

"If the school finds this acceptable they would be able to use that £50,000 for something else and we would provide the new mobiles for them.

"We are now just waiting to hear whether or not this is acceptable to the school."

He said governors had now agreed to look at the new mobile classrooms and were expected to make a decision within a week.

West Bromwich East MP Tom Watson has already called for a re-think and said every child in primary school deserved to be able to choose a hot meal.

Headteacher Andrew Kirby said the school had £50,000 set aside from this year's budget which would be enough to refurbish the kitchen. There are 309 pupils aged three to 11 on the register at Mesty Croft.

When the plans were first announced he said: "Our first priority has to be the safety and education of the children. It has been a very difficult decision, but these classrooms are in a poor condition."