Malbank School staff in Nantwich were forced to close the school today after a major water pipe burst nearby cut off supplies.
The burst pipe happened in nearby Welsh Row and meant no water supply at all on the school site.
Malbank headteacher John Harrison was forced to close the school which houses more than 1,300 students and staff.
Mr Harrison said: “We contacted the water company who sadly couldn’t give us an accurate estimate for how long it would take to fix the issue or for how long emergency water supply might take to arrive.
“Having negotiated one break time where students could no longer access toilets we made the difficult decision to close the school.
“A building with 1,300 people in it cannot operate without water.
“Science experiments can’t be made safe, food can’t be prepared, students cannot use the toilet or wash their hands and particularly given the pandemic this meant we had no option but to close the site.
“Ultimately any headteacher will do all they can to keep face to face learning in place and schools open.
“But our number one priority above all else is to keep the students safe and keep health and safety at the forefront of our minds.”
And he took to social media to praise the response from staff and parents when the decision to close was made.
“I was delighted with the response – parents were incredible in their speed of response and support, staff were amazing in their handling of the exit and students were calm, disciplined and mature about the whole event.
“I can’t thank everyone in the school community enough for how well it was dealt with.
“I understand the inconvenience a day like today brings and don’t take for granted how fantastic our parents are in the way they support us in such situations.”
(Aerial pic by Jonathan White)
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