Cwmcarn school set to stay closed for week in asbestos scare

12:34pm Monday 15th October 2012 in News

Cwmcarn school set to stay closed for week in asbestos scare Cwmcarn school set to stay closed for week in asbestos scare

PUPILS from Cwmcarn High School look set to remain off school this week, as senior staff and governors work with Caerphilly council to make alternative arrangements for lessons.

The school was closed last Friday for detailed asbestos investigations to be carried out following a structural report.

Those findings are currently being analysed the council and Public Health Wales with experts from the latter body expected to provide a view on the situation shortly.

The council is currently working with the school's senior staff and governors on alternative arrangements for pupils and staff, but this is unlikely to be resolved this week. Priority is being given to providing accommodation for pupils in years 11, 12 and 13.

Are you the parent of a child at Cwmcarn High School? Tell us how you have been affected - call 01633 777226 or e-mail newsdesk@southwalesargus.co.uk

Comments(28)

alexman1 says...
1:01pm Mon 15 Oct 12

All this is ok but the problem I have is the only place Caerphilly posted this earlier was on facebook. I do appreciate now it is on Their website but I think it's wrong I had to find out off my son on facebook. Another point is Ms Plepinski hasn't put anything on the school website like she said she would. I appreciate it isn't going to be fixed with the click of a button but there needs to be better organisation within the matter. I don't know weither to watch this website, caerphillys or the schools.

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lucyrmorgan1984 says...
1:09pm Mon 15 Oct 12

If I know the staff at Cwmcarn they will reopen the gates to the children as soon as they possibly can and I fully support them in doing so.

I suppose the Head Teacher is as in the dark as us parents at the moment?

Do other schools contain asbestos? At least the problem at Cwmcarn is being dealt with.

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sherrie says...
2:59pm Mon 15 Oct 12

The school posted letters out on Friday to say that the school was closing etc. The head informs us that she didn't find out what was happening until 2.45pm on the Friday - So the staff printed out over 900 letters and franked over 900 envelopes and still managed to catch the last post in time.... This doesn't add up!

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sally80 says...
4:07pm Mon 15 Oct 12

The letters came from Caerphilly Council not the school. So it does add up!!!

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Sevans84 says...
4:08pm Mon 15 Oct 12

I know someone who is a teacher at the school and she didn't know until 2:45 I have heard however they thought I wasn't as bad is it actually was so they really thought it was a minor problem which could be fix during half term but found out on Friday afternoon that it. Is really bad. The person who I know who works there is concerned for the pupils especially for gcse and a levels students

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sherrie says...
4:30pm Mon 15 Oct 12

Thanks Sally80!!!!

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marie morris says...
5:07pm Mon 15 Oct 12

sherrie wrote:
The school posted letters out on Friday to say that the school was closing etc. The head informs us that she didn't find out what was happening until 2.45pm on the Friday - So the staff printed out over 900 letters and franked over 900 envelopes and still managed to catch the last post in time.... This doesn't add up!
at 12;30 friday my daughter spoke to her form tutor , and told her teacher that her parents were going to contact the HSE , they have known for weeks as the humanities department has been shut for 3 weeks

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Bem1978 says...
5:25pm Mon 15 Oct 12

Asbestos was so widely used in buildings at one time, particularly schools as I understand it, cwmcarn high is not unique.

I was told that if I had any questions I was able to speak with the head over the phone. This is what form tutors told pupils I've spoken with.

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Guysfawkes65 says...
7:37pm Mon 15 Oct 12

My father said he knows the people who built all the schools in the area and they have told him they were all built the same way using asbestos so all contain the same level of danger. So the question is are Cwmcarn the first of many schools to close or being the only one not controlled by Caerphilly county council have they put health and wellbeing over costs while the council look to save cash

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jd1234 says...
9:15pm Mon 15 Oct 12

No, they put cost before health and wellbeing - other schools dealt with the problem of asbestos 10 years ago. Cwmcarn ignored it - being a Foundation School they have control over their money so decided not to spend on dealing with the problem of asbestos! It was the Head and Governors' decision - not the Local Authority!

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gingertom says...
9:24pm Mon 15 Oct 12

Cwmcarn is not the only school in caerphilly that has got asbestos.
There are others in the same boat.

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hannah27 says...
9:56pm Mon 15 Oct 12

cwmcarn has known about the Asbestos for years and years. to say it was never harmful is ridiculous. it was bound to come to this eventually.

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jess181 says...
10:49pm Mon 15 Oct 12

I was at Cwmcarn for 7 years,and finished 2 years ago. As much as I loved the school and it gave me the good grades I needed, It was always well known that there was asbestos in the walls by both the staff and pupils. There were stickers all over the walls with the letter A to warn that these walls contained asbestos,but that is the only measure the school took. Teachers would go mad if a pupil tapped a wall or something of the sort because of the danger of the asbestos,so I really do not understand how nothing has been done sooner after at least ten years. Not only is this news affecting current pupils,staff and parents of Cwmcarn, but it is making past pupils worried for their health. It is absolutely disgusting that the headteacher and/or council have been keeping things from pupils and parents,but to be honest i'm not too surprised as that school would always do anything to avoid spending any money.

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asbestos123 says...
11:01pm Mon 15 Oct 12

As the school is a foundation I would imagine the local authority would have little to do with the building maintenance or building projects.
The school would not be dim-witted enough to undertake or organise building without undertaking the required survey, disturbed asbestos, contaminated the building and left the Council to pick up the pieces and take the flack? .. I’ve seen it before where I use to live!!

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Goldy_Lookin_Clart says...
6:12am Tue 16 Oct 12

A certain Comp on the Hill nearby had its asbestos removed 10 years ago by Caetphilly.
I am sure it has Lots of empty classrooms.

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Bem1978 says...
6:23am Tue 16 Oct 12

The battering the school is being given through speculation is extremely sad.

Surely the ultimate goal should be to get pupils back with THEIR teachers?

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Dai Rear says...
7:31am Tue 16 Oct 12

There is a lot of asbestos used in construction. White asbestos is carcinogenic.. The other types are inert. Contractors have made a mint out of simple minded councils through the Great Asbestos Fraud. If it's not white asbestos the school could reopen this morning

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JWG1967 says...
8:03am Tue 16 Oct 12

Cwmcarn has been starved of money for years by the Authority it's the lowest funded school in the Authority and the third lowest funded in Wales. Each pupil has a thousand pounds per head less funding.

A thousand pounds per pupil less is nearly a million pounds A YEAR.

Don't criticise the head what would you parents prefer nice new buildings or teachers? It's the authority's fault for chronic underfunding for years.

Caerphilly has committed millions to a new welsh comprehensive in the old St Ilans site in Cearphilly town. Theres already have a new welsh medium comprehensive school - while English medium schools are crumbling. Is this fair?

Perhaps they could save a few £ on Weish education and put it into their poor relations in English medium schools who still make up a big proportion of voters in the old islwyn area.

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Cymru Am Beth says...
10:55am Tue 16 Oct 12

Dai Rear wrote:
There is a lot of asbestos used in construction. White asbestos is carcinogenic.. The other types are inert. Contractors have made a mint out of simple minded councils through the Great Asbestos Fraud. If it's not white asbestos the school could reopen this morning
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it was the 'blue' asbestos that was the most dangerous not the white?

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chslearner11 says...
11:50am Tue 16 Oct 12

I am a learner at Cwmcarn High School and I'm in my last year studying my gcse's. To me this week off is quite annoying as I would personally rather be in school studying, however, Cwmcarn High is like big family and every year it achieves outstanding gcse and a-level results. This asbestos find has sparked outrage throughout the parents of the learners which is understandable but more importantly it's the learners that matter most. Slating Miss Peplinski for not giving out the information on time is ridiculous as I bet she is in the dark just as much as us, she is an amazing headteacher and just wants us all back in school. It's not fair that parents are commenting things about the school, because I think they would rather their child be safe at the school than in an unsafe environment. Cwmcarn High needs all the support it can get so think twice before commenting about how the school would do anything so they wouldn't have to 'spend money' when we are grant maintained and low on budget anyway! In my opinion I would rather have nice teachers and good equipment than walls knocked down to get rid of asbestos that's been here for so long. Dangerous or not I doubt very much that we are the only school with asbestos particles lying around, just a shame that ours is so bad.

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alexman1 says...
9:27pm Tue 16 Oct 12

I completely agree with the above comment! My son comes home from schoo late half the time because helping the teachers out with friends or something! And again the school does have a low budget and it prioritises in the best education for the pupils. As I can see none of the pupils care about the asbestos they purely care about the school and all of this caring on twitter and facebook has obviously payed off because there slowly opening again! Don't hate cwmcarn because its got asbestos and maybe some communication problems like it because that's were the results come from..!

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asbestos123 says...
9:38pm Tue 16 Oct 12

alexman1 wrote:
I completely agree with the above comment! My son comes home from schoo late half the time because helping the teachers out with friends or something! And again the school does have a low budget and it prioritises in the best education for the pupils. As I can see none of the pupils care about the asbestos they purely care about the school and all of this caring on twitter and facebook has obviously payed off because there slowly opening again! Don't hate cwmcarn because its got asbestos and maybe some communication problems like it because that's were the results come from..!
Some people do worry me. “Pupils don’t care about asbestos” .. asbestos exposure will not have any immediate effect .. its thirty or forty years later when you have asbestosis.

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alexman1 says...
9:54pm Tue 16 Oct 12

asbestos123 wrote:
alexman1 wrote:
I completely agree with the above comment! My son comes home from schoo late half the time because helping the teachers out with friends or something! And again the school does have a low budget and it prioritises in the best education for the pupils. As I can see none of the pupils care about the asbestos they purely care about the school and all of this caring on twitter and facebook has obviously payed off because there slowly opening again! Don't hate cwmcarn because its got asbestos and maybe some communication problems like it because that's were the results come from..!
Some people do worry me. “Pupils don’t care about asbestos” .. asbestos exposure will not have any immediate effect .. its thirty or forty years later when you have asbestosis.
Yes but the pupils don't know that do they? The point is we don't know how high they were at risk. No pacific facts have been confirmed. And what I'm trying to get across anyway is Cwmcarn is like a family it has the connection that no other school seems to have. It's like a second home to my son. He said to me yesterday evening so we've been exposed to asbestos for 4 years, another year won't hurt will it?

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Dai Rear says...
7:41am Wed 17 Oct 12

Cymru Am Beth wrote:
Dai Rear wrote:
There is a lot of asbestos used in construction. White asbestos is carcinogenic.. The other types are inert. Contractors have made a mint out of simple minded councils through the Great Asbestos Fraud. If it's not white asbestos the school could reopen this morning
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it was the 'blue' asbestos that was the most dangerous not the white?
Sorry. I slap my wrist. Hope you agree with the overall point

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Cymru Am Beth says...
8:24am Wed 17 Oct 12

Dai Rear wrote:
Cymru Am Beth wrote:
Dai Rear wrote: There is a lot of asbestos used in construction. White asbestos is carcinogenic.. The other types are inert. Contractors have made a mint out of simple minded councils through the Great Asbestos Fraud. If it's not white asbestos the school could reopen this morning
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it was the 'blue' asbestos that was the most dangerous not the white?
Sorry. I slap my wrist. Hope you agree with the overall point
I do agree.
Apparently there is also a brown asbestos which is equally dangerous.

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Cwmderi says...
3:24pm Wed 17 Oct 12

What is equally worrying is that Leighton Andrews the Welsh Minister for Education at the Assembly has now stated that he wants an immediate report on asbestos in schools throughout Wales. This. at a time when he is demanding councils throughout Wales to reduce the number of surplus pupil places in our schools by tens of thousands.
As one contributor stated earlier "There is a large school on a hill nearby" (which has a huge number of surplus places)
Let's hope the Minister does not use asbestos as a blunt tool to cut these surplus places.
Be vigilant.

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Moulder says...
7:59pm Sun 21 Oct 12

Unfortunately it is in the hands of CCBC now... And going on the history of the Council's and Cwmcarns relationship, I fear the council will have there way and use this opportunity to put the final nail in Cwmcarn Schools coffin!!!! If the pupils are placed in schools within the area, they will be in these schools for at least a year... In which case the parents would rather leave them where they are than disturb their childrens education AGAIN!!! In which case the Council has won...
Being a former pupil at Cwmcarn during the last encounter with the local authority, I along with my parents fought to keep Cwmcarn open so that my children have been able to go to this high standing school in our community... Please..please support the pupils, the staff and parents at this anxious time...

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Careful says...
9:38pm Sun 21 Oct 12

Moulder wrote:
Unfortunately it is in the hands of CCBC now... And going on the history of the Council's and Cwmcarns relationship, I fear the council will have there way and use this opportunity to put the final nail in Cwmcarn Schools coffin!!!! If the pupils are placed in schools within the area, they will be in these schools for at least a year... In which case the parents would rather leave them where they are than disturb their childrens education AGAIN!!! In which case the Council has won...
Being a former pupil at Cwmcarn during the last encounter with the local authority, I along with my parents fought to keep Cwmcarn open so that my children have been able to go to this high standing school in our community... Please..please support the pupils, the staff and parents at this anxious time...
Hear, Hear !!!

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