Waiting game

NEWARK could be at the forefront of a national campaign designed to force the Government to put up the money to transform the learning environment for thousands of school pupils across the country.

Serious doubts have been raised about the availability of funds to rebuild crumbling schools.

The Grove School, Balderton, is in the worst condition of any school in Nottinghamshire.

The Government maintains that the state of school buildings has little bearing on the teaching provided within them and pupils’ ability and attitude to learning.

That sounds suspiciously like a ready-made excuse for not bringing school buildings up to a standard fit for our children.

We were promised in December that we would be told whether the Grove could be rebuilt with money set aside to replace the Building Schools for the Future programme.

That announcement was delayed to the New Year and it now seems the wait will continue until May at the earliest.

As campaigner Mr Don Melrose says, with each day that passes the Grove deteriorates further.

He believes the best chance of securing good news now lies in a coalition of schools in the same predicament.

Fellow members of the Support Our Schools group agree it may offer the best chance of success.

It’s sad that it has come to this, given that every child has a basic right to the best education available.

After all the delays, it would be completely unacceptable to be told the wait had been for nothing.