At last night’s Cowes Town Council meeting, although not on the agenda, the subject of Cowes Enterprise College was raised during the public question time.
Readers may recall that pupils will now remain at the old school until at least September 2013, after continuing delays with the handover of the new £32m school.
Health and safety concerns
The parent of one pupil at the school raised health and safety concerns, referring to large cracks in the walls, missing ceiling tiles, water leaking on electrical equipment and trip hazards of torn-up carpet (see our November report with photos showing the poor condition of the school).
She went on to say that children were unhappy going to the school and that something needed to be done. “We want answers on what’s happening” she ended.
The Mayor, Cllr David Walters, gave a potted history of recent events, including Stuart LoveIWC Strategic Director Stuart Love taking control of the project, the suspension of two officers and the delays of moving into the new building. He suggested that Cllr Wells, Chair of Governors at the school may be able to provide more information.
“Not a pleasant environment to work in”
Cllr Wells began by saying that he had “huge sympathy” for parents, pupils and staff. He went on to say that he was limited in what he could say about the Ofsted report, as it was not public, but added that the report praised pupils at the school for coping well.
On the subject of pupils having to remain in the old school building longer than expected he admitted that it was “not a pleasant environment to work in”, going on to say the Isle of Wight council had surveyed every room and were “working fully on it”.
No worse than in last year
He remarked that the school was in no worse a condition than it had been for the last year. Adding that the “pretty pictures” previously adorning the walls had been taken down, therefore revealing what they’d been covering up.
Cllr Wells finished by saying that if any parents had specific concerns, he and the other Governors would be more than happy to meet with them to discuss further.
