A CAMPAIGN for repair funding for one of the North East’s leading high schools has been launched with an MP’s support.
Hexham MP Guy Opperman is backing the campaign to make the town’s Queen Elizabeth High “a school fit for the 21st century”.
Parent Cath Homer, whose 11-year-old daughter and nine-year-old twin boys are likely to become pupils there, is behind the call for local and national Government money to be allocated to the 1,300- pupil school.
And she is looking for public backing in preparing a case to go before education leaders.
No funding figure has been set and discussions are just getting under way to assess the necessary extent of repairs.
There are no serious structural issues, though school headteacher Neil Morrison was among the delegation of four Tynedale headteachers who met Education Secretary Michael Gove a year ago to press for repairs funding.
Prudhoe High School has been put on the priority list for Government money and Mrs Homer said: “We need to make the case locally and show there is real public support for the investment needed to repair and rebuild our High School.
“Queen Elizabeth is a fantastic high school which provides an excellent standard of education for local children. However, I think everyone agrees that the buildings are in need of some real investment.
“That is why we have launched our campaign to lobby the county council, and Government, to fund improvements to our high school.”
The high-achieving school – ranked as outstanding by Ofsted in 2007 – has 465 sixth-formers on its 1,300-plus roll. The newest part of the school was built in 1965,with the older section dating back to the early 20th century.
It takes its name from the granting of a Royal Charter for a town grammar school by Queen Elizabeth I in 1599.
Mrs Homer added: “There are some wonderful historic parts of Queen Elizabeth High School, but much needs work and many of the later additions are now outdated.”
Mr Opperman, a determined champion of quality education in his constituency, has promised to put the Hexham school’s case to ministers.
He said: “This Government has already delivered on funding for a number of new high schools, including Prudhoe High.
“This is an excellent campaign which will hopefully build on that momentum and make sure Hexham has a high school fit for the 21st century.”
