Wesley Hall pupils sent home amid paving delays, sewer leak

Students and staff at Wesley Hall Junior School were sent home on the first day of the new term after incomplete paving work and an unexpected underground sewer repair left dust and other environmental hazards on The City campus.

The decision to suspend operations was made after education officials inspected the premises during the morning intake. Despite full-scale renovations continuing since last year, delays in laying asphalt left exposed dirt and aggregate across the entrance and parking areas.

Unpaved driveway at Wesley Hall Junior School also forced officials to close the school on the opening day of the new term. (Photo Credit: Shamar Blunt)

Addressing the issue, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Transformation Kim Belle explained that contractor delays forced the sudden shutdown.

Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education Transformation Kim Belle. (Photo Credit: Shamar Blunt)

She said: “When the work was being done, the car park to the back that was prepared for the paving, the area as you enter the school plant, that is where the sewage line runs through. When they were doing the preparatory work they realised that line had broken, which delayed the work because you don’t want that you have gone ahead and paved and you have a broken sewer line. 

“When it was completed, we had the commitment that the paving would have been completed over the weekend. That did not happen. We’re trying to settle now with the firm to come back today to have it done. 

“As you would appreciate, if it’s just rolled, as vehicles move and as the wind blows, you’re going to get some wind occurring kicking up the dust, so we made a decision after having gone there this morning, it’s best to let the staff and the students go back home so that we can get that settled.”

The comprehensive renovation of Wesley Hall Junior, one of the country’s oldest primary schools, has been underway since last September. Over the past year, workmen stripped and rebuilt the school’s signature two-storey building to address serious structural deterioration, transforming unused areas into modern classrooms and ending the practice of holding lessons in the main hall.

Refurbished Wesley Hall Junior School. (Photo Credit: Shamar Blunt)

According to ministry officials, the extensive overhaul was designed to create a significantly enhanced, professional environment for both children and educators. Upgrades included fully refurbished staff quarters, a modernised principal’s office positioned directly at the front entrance, and dedicated spaces to ensure assemblies and entertainment take place in the hall as originally intended.

But beyond the dust issues created by the incomplete driveway, the ministry noted that final construction checks — known in the trade as “snagging” — remained outstanding across several internal spaces. Belle said the contractor had committed to finishing the work by tomorrow.

“When we walked the school, we saw that there were some areas that needed to be snagged,” Belle said. “Those of you familiar with construction know that once you have finished the work, you still have to go back through now and do some snagging to make sure that everything that is supposed to be is in place. 

“The contractor who is here with us, Mr De Freitas, has given us the commitment that they would go through and do all that is necessary. We are going to hold Mr De Freitas to that commitment so that all of the snagging and everything will be completed.”

Ministry officials noted that early-morning room assignments caused mild confusion among returning students, who found their traditional classrooms had been relocated under the expanded floorplan. Officials expressed confidence that the brief delay would allow students to adjust to their new surroundings without the distraction of construction crews.

“Even going in this morning, given that a lot of spaces that were not classrooms before are now allocated as classrooms, you had a bit of settling because children coming in for the first time back to their new refurbished plant have to find their class,” Belle said.

“Last year you were in Class One, now you’re Class Two and where Class Two was last year is not where Class Two is this year, because we have really ensured that we have more comfortable spaces for the students and the staff. That is why we would have had a bit of a hitch this morning.”

The ministry requested that the paving company move heavy equipment onto the grounds immediately following the early dismissal to take advantage of the empty site.

“I’ve asked them, come, there’s no school for the balance of the day, come get it done so that that will then cinch everything together,” the permanent secretary said, emphasising that parents had otherwise voiced immense satisfaction with the school’s physical transformation.

“Based on the reports from the parents this morning, they were all happy with the improvements that they have seen at the school. Some of them are past students, so they know what it was like before and they’re really pleased with the level of upgrades that have taken place.”

Classes at Wesley Hall Junior School are officially scheduled to resume on Wednesday morning, provided the contractor and paving firm fulfil their commitments, officials said.

(RR)