Prudhoe Community High School Closure Updates

Due to the availability of the buses and the travel distance, we will be following an amended school day while we are based at Washington (see below). Students will still follow their current timetable but will be reissued with new timetables with their new room numbers. These times will be for every day, we will not have a “Wonky Wednesday”. 

Students have been allocated specific buses and pick up points dependent on their home addresses. This will be communicated to parents and students once we have the final confirmation from NCC. They will be issued a coloured card on their first day at Washington which they must show to the driver/PCHS duty staff when they get on and off the bus. 6th form students can use their own transport if they wish and there will be parking available. 

There will be no buses available to bring students to school or back from school other than at the times above. Therefore please try to avoid making medical appointments during the school day whenever possible. If students become unwell during the day we appreciate that it may be difficult for parents/carers to pick them up. We will have an increased number of small, quiet rooms that students can use if they feel unwell.  

There will be later buses available during the exam period for exams that will finish past 2.10pm. 

There are limited changing areas at the Washington site so if students have PE they should come to school in their full PCHS PE kit. We also hope to be using a nearby sports facility for PE lessons. While this is only a 5 minute walk away it would involve crossing a dual carriageway therefore if we do secure this then when students are timetabled PE they would be taken there by bus. 

All lockers have now been emptied, bagged and labelled and will be delivered to the Washington site. Students will be able collect their belongings when they go to Washington. 

We will be providing a similar break and lunchtime service. Payment can be made in the usual way. 

Students will be expected to be on-site for all timetabled lessons. 6th Form students will be able to sign in and out as they did at PCHS. There will be designated study rooms and quiet study areas for them to use during their study periods. 

Generally students will be following the curriculum as planned. Teachers will assess any gaps in students' knowledge and the curricula may be adjusted to support students to narrow those gaps. In some more practical subjects (mainly DT and Food Technology) teachers will be reordering the curriculum to focus on the theory side as much as possible in the short term. We will be able to do some limited practical work and when needed we will do ‘drop down’ days where students will have a day of practical work at another site. 

We have been able to bring groups of Y11 and Y13 students into engineering, HMS and OMS to complete practical work and coursework in a number of subjects including Art, Textiles, Music, Food Tech, Engineering, Computer Studies, MFL.

We suspended our intervention timetable that would have started after half term as we felt an extra online lesson would have been detrimental to students’ wellbeing. Logistically bringing students and staff to another location after school is not possible. 

We will be sharing an intervention timetable for the Easter Holidays for Y11 and Y13. When we return to face-to-face teaching we will use the 30-minute tutorial time each day for intervention focusing particularly on CORE subjects.  

Online learning means that students have been covering the curriculum. Once we return to face-to-face teaching, teachers will assess any gaps in students' knowledge. The curricula may be adjusted to support students. Students who have significant gaps will be supported further particularly after the exam season is over. By the end of the summer term, our aim would be for all students to be where they should have been in normal circumstances.

We will be looking at how we can reorder the curriculum to focus on the theory side as much as possible in the short term. We will be able to do some limited practical work and when needed we will do ‘drop down’ days where students will have a day of practical work at another site. 

We have contacted the exam boards and JCQ. At present a decision will not be made by them on what special consideration will be applied as this can only be requested after students have started their exams. We will of course accurately outline the impact that the current school closure will have had on our students who are taking external exams this summer. As soon as there is more clarity we will of course communicate this with parents and students.

The new site has facilities to hold exams. 

6th form students will be able to use school transport or make their own way to school. Students will be expected to be on-site for all timetabled lessons. They will be allowed to sign in and out at other times. Work areas will be provided for students who do not have lessons and want to or need to stay on-site because they are reliant on school transport. It is important to note though that School transport will have the capacity to take all 6th form students to and from the school site at the start and end of each school day.

Transport is for everyone and pupils will start and finish in Prudhoe so pupils will be expected to travel the same distance as they would to school.

SEND pupils who currently get a taxi to school will continue to be taxied to the new site.

As soon as transport logistics are confirmed we will update parents on the final arrangements for travel.

Structural engineers and specialists have been conducting investigations since a floor crack was identified on the upper floor on February 10, 2025. Further assessments since then have determined the building is not safe to continue operating and needs to remain closed.

A number of cracks in the building have been identified in the period from 10th February. Structural engineers and other building specialists have been appointed to investigate the cause and seriousness of these changes to the building. The building is not considered safe to be in and therefore in the interests of safety we had to close the building.We have been told that the building will be closed for a minimum period of six to nine months.

This remains unclear and it is too early to understand the cause of this issue. This type of situation can be complex and can be caused by multiple factors. Site investigations are underway including to review: 

• The structural elements of the building
• Ground conditions
• The potential impact of recent weather events

The school is arranging for learning to be supported with online resources. The school is sending updates to all parents regarding the opportunities of online learning.

We are working with the DfE to explore options which may be relocating pupils.

We have shared the information we can at the moment and will communicate further directly to families as soon as we are in a position to provide an update. We share the desire to have clarity on the impacts of this and how this will be managed. However, the building specialists need time to fully investigate and report on their findings. We are grateful to you for your understanding whilst this process happens.