A LICHFIELD school has confirmed that it has brought in specialists in a bid to get its playing fields back into use.
Nether Stowe School has seen students unable to use some outdoor spaces after rubble used to level the site during its construction began to rise to the surface.
A contractor has now been appointed in a bid to investigate the scale of the issue.
A spokesperson for Nether Stowe School said:
“This issue is being addressed as an urgent action by our estates service.
“When Nether Stowe School was built, waste and rubble materials were buried and then overlaid with the school playing fields, as was common practice at the time.
“Over time – and with weather erosion – some of these materials have now thought to have moved to the surface.
“A contractor has been commissioned to carry out further investigative works to areas of the playing the field in order that appropriate remedial repairs can be progressed.
“Some areas of the playing fields have been out of use for students while the situation is investigated and remedied.”
It is the latest issue facing the school, which was forced to shut for a week after Easter due to issues with the water system and the discovery of asbestos – and has drawn up plans to close its sixth form due to low admission numbers.
Headteacher Kirsty Jones also wrote to parents last week after an image of a rat in a school hall was shared on social media.
In her letter, she said that while traps had been installed it was “inevitable” that rodents would be within the grounds.
“Unfortunatley, a rat was seen in the school. As soon as we were aware of the issue we contacted Rentokil who attended and installed traps.
“Environmental Health were also made aware of the presence of the rodent and attended the school. The officers were satisfied with all of the measures we have put in place.
“On a large site such as ours, rats are inevitable within the grounds, which is why we have regular scheduled visits from pest control specialists.
“We will continue to apply our usual rodent control measures in line with the annual contract that is already in place for the school.
“We believe that the measures we are are taking will resolve the issue promptly.”
