Small Heath school break-in and burglary leads to two-day closure

A school in Small Heath in Birmingham has been temporary closed to pupils following a break-in on Tuesday night.

The Small Heath Leadership Academy (formerly Small Heath School) on Muntz Street will be closed until Friday morning, following an overnight burglary during which valuables were stolen and the property was damaged.

Following the incident, the Academy took the decision to close, and sent out the following message to parents of pupils who attend the school:

“It is with regret that we have to close the Academy for all students today for health and safety reasons due to a break-in overnight.”

The brief message was delivered by text and appeared online, ahead of a more detailed response.

An official statement issued to parents yesterday from the school’s management team explained:

“Thank you to all parents for their continuous support. Work is underway to secure the safety of the site and the Academy will remain closed tomorrow Thursday 4th October.

The Academy will open for all students on Friday 5th October at normal time of 8.40am.”

The message was also posted to the school’s website and shared on their official Twitter account.

Staff at the school have shared suggestions of home-learning for students during the unexpected closure, providing online links to subject activities.

Several parents have been sharing their frustrations at the closure. One parent told us, “Apparently much damage caused and property stolen.”

It is not as yet known to what extent the school has been damaged, or as to the value of items stolen when the building was targeted and burgled.

Small Heath Leadership Academy is closed on Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th October 2018. The school re-opens on Friday 5th October at 8.40am. For more details, visit: www.smallheathleadershipacademy.com