School buildings 'not fit for purpose' - head

Carole Anderson, headteacher at Monmouth Comprehensive School, said many of the classrooms are too small and some buildings are unusable.

The Argus reported last week on how a review of secondary schools by Monmouthshire county council found the temporary buildings at Monmouth Comprehensive School to be 15 years past their expected life span.

The school is said to be in need of new mechanical and electrical installations and replacement of the school's windows and cladding.

The report then outlines possible options including remodelling the school on its existing grounds which would cost an estimated £25 million or building a new school on the lower part of the site costing £22 million.

Mrs Anderson said the school currently has 11 temporary buildings and that one of these was given to the school second hand 30 years ago.

She said this laboratory can no longer be used because of water penetration and rotting windows.

Mrs Anderson said the school was built over a number of different areas and is not designed for education in the 21st century.

She said thousands of pounds was spent to tackle water penetration which was made worse because of bad weather.

She said: "It’s like a black hole. We’re having to spend money on basic issues like making it waterproof."

She said the school has 1,659 pupils and does not have enough space.

Mrs Anderson said the school hall also has to be used during lunchtime because the canteen is not big enough.

But she said the school is doing everything it can to keep standards high.

Mrs Anderson said she would now like to see recognition and a commitment by the council that the work needs doing and a time scale of when it will happen.

She said the most logical choice would be to build a new school rather than a refurbishment of the current buildings.

She added: "Our students deserve good facilities both now and in the long term and we are determined to make that happen."