Concerns have been raised after a free school in Wembley opened to pupils today despite ongoing building work on its site.
Pupils attending Michaela Community School in North End Road, were ushered through a narrow wooden tunnel as hard-hat wearing builders carried out the work inches away from their classrooms.
One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Times he was unimpressed by the state of the building.
He said: “I am not impressed. I did not expect this at all. We were told the building will be ready for the start of the term but if you look at it now, it is no where near completion.”
“They children are going to need CSCS [Construction Skills Certificate Scheme] cards to get through those gates today.”
Another added: “You can’t open as school when it is in this state in my opinion. It’s a building site. How are the children meant to concentrate in class with all this going on?”
Katherine Birbalsingh, the school’s head teacher, admitted that the outside appearance of the school left a lot to be desired but added the site was perfectly safe.
She said: “It is entirely protected and adheres to all health and safety requirements otherwise the developers would not be carrying out the work.”
“Some parents haven’t been inside the building yet so we hope that the next parent’s evening, which takes place this week, will give the opportunity for the parents to see that it is actually quite nice inside.”
A spokesman for Brent Council said that their health and safety team has not received any complaints about the school.
The building work is expected to be completed in April next year.
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