Pupils at Bishop Hooper Primary School forced to stay at home after fixing fails on verandah canopy

Pupils at a south Shropshire school have been forced to stay at home today as a safety precaution after a fixing on a verandah canopy failed.

The issue involved the partial detachment of a galvanised fixing on the canopy at Bishop Hooper Primary School in Ashford Carbonell.

A spokesperson for Hereford Diocese said: "Bishop Hooper is a Church of England School and we are keeping a close eye on developments. We have total faith in the Head teacher, Kerri Phelps, and are happy that parents will be kept fully informed and that Bishop Hooper Primary School will re-open as quickly as possible."

David Minnery, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children and young people, said:

“Following the partial detachment of a galvanised fixing on a canopy at Bishop Hooper School on 13 April 2016, work has been undertaken to make it safe. As a precaution, following a preliminary structural inspection and pending further investigations, a decision has been taken to close the school on 14 April 2016. Parents have been informed of this closure and the school will continue to provide updates to parents during this incident.”