ANOTHER CITY SCHOOL IS CRUMBLING

Bishop Perowne High School governors have been warned in a shock engineers' report that further study was likely to track down more major defects in the two-storey building.

And the report strongly recommends that pupils at the of the Rainbow Hill school be relocated out of the Malvern block until the full extent of the problem is identified.

The findings have been made public by city MP Mike Foster, who said he was now worried about the safety of the 1,048 children attending the school.

He urged authorities to fund a further, more extensive, investigation.

"I'm concerned that we just don't know whether pupils are at risk," he said.

But headteacher Julie Farr said the report stressed potential problems that could come in a number of years and assured parents that the school wasn't taking any risks.

"I promise the building is safe," she told the Evening News today.

PUPILS at Bishop Perowne High School this morning continued their studies as normal - not knowing about fears that part of their school could collapse.

Concerns have been raised about the strength of the timber frame of the Malvern block, a 95ft by 55ft two-storey block of classrooms and teaching areas including a drama studio.

Governors at the school commissioned Worcester firm Robert West to survey the mid-1980s building late last year.

"If the structural framing of the whole building were exposed there would in all probability be considerable further deterioration and major defects observed," concluded the company's report, completed in November.

It "strongly recommends" that the school relocate lessons out of the classroom block and remove the cladding of the building, in Merrimans Hill Road, so they can find out more about the condition if it is to be used "for any extended period of time."

"Accidental misuse of parts of the building, failure to address repair/strengthening issues or severe weather conditions (very high winds or drifting snow) could eventually lead to loss of amenity or even localised failure of the structure," it adds.

Worcester MP Mike Foster said he wanted authorities to find the funds, thought to total about £60,000, to allow the in-depth assessment to take place.

"I'm concerned that we just don't know whether pupils are at risk," he said.

"I don't want to frighten parents unnecessarily and put pupils off attending but if I'm taken around a school and shown a building that's defective in the eyes of the governors, I'm not going to sit back and say it is nothing to do with me," he said.

But headteacher Julie Farr was anxious to allay fears.

"We're delighted for Mike Foster's concern but confident

that as of today the building is safe and will remain so for at least eight years," she said.

"We've taken advice and consulted very widely and the essential words are 'could eventually lead'."

"We know the Malvern block has a limited life span and quite properly governors are looking strategically for replacement of that building and looking ways of developing and extending a flexible curriculum.

"I promise the building is safe from every advice we've taken - parents shouldn't be worried.

"Were it not safe we would have evacuated the building as a matter of emergency and if necessary moved into mobile classrooms."

This morning parents were surprised and shocked that fears over the building's safety had not been made public before.

One woman, who was dropping off her son, but did not wish to be named, said it was "disgusting" that parents had not been notified.

Governor: Wrong to make comment

CHAIRMAN of governors at Bishop Perowne, Nigel Downes, denied that the findings of the structural survey should have been made public although it was concluded in November.

"It would be wrong to make any comment to parents when there is not a great deal to tell them," said Mr Downes.

"It is part of the continuing discussion with the county council. We are in the middle of dialogue. There is no conclusion."

He said talks were being held with the council over any potential application to the Government for funding.

He declined to reveal what the money could be used for, but said it could include paying for more surveying work to discover the full extent of the problems.

Any application would be made in the autumn 2005.

Problems could be repeated in the city

THE potential problems facing Bishop Perowne could be repeated around the city as ageing school buildings are renovated and replaced.

Officials estimate the life span of classrooms to be about 20 years.

Plans to relocate Christopher Whitehead High School in St John's were backed by claims that the building was not up to modern teaching standards.

The Government has vowed to act on every secondary school over the next 10 to 15 years.

Bosses at Worcestershire County Council, which does not control Bishop Perowne, a voluntary-aided school, said regular checks are held to ensure buildings do not become unsafe.

The authority added that giving money for further checks on the school would "almost certainly contravene" strict rules governing voluntary aided establishments.

The Department for Education and Skills, to which the school reports directly, said governors at Bishop Perowne needed to contact its officials about accessing emergency funding.

What engineers Robert West warn in their survey:

"Accidental misuse of parts of the building, failure to address repair/strengthening issues or severe weather conditions (very high winds or drifting snow) could eventually lead to loss of amenity or even localised failure of the structure".

"There are indications of ongoing movement of the structure as seen in the cracking to external masonry".

"Lockers, although fixed to the walls, were moving out of plumb even though they were not being used".

"If the structural framing of the whole building were exposed there would in all probability be considerable further deterioration and major defects observed".