A Devon MP has said “serious questions” need to be tackled over the debacle that will see a brand-new but unused school building in Exeter demolished.
Sir Mel Stride, whose Central Devon constituency includes a small portion of Exeter, including where the Matford Brook Academy is located, has released a statement about the issue.
The problems were raised by Councillor Alan Connett (Liberal Democrat, Exminster and Haldon), whose division encompasses the academy.
He highlighted that while the school had opened in 2023, no pupil had ever set foot inside the main building due to structural problems.
Cllr Connett noted that the Department for Education (DfE) had now decided that it was not possible to repair, and that tearing it down and starting again would be the better option.
Sir Mel, who is the shadow chancellor and whose Conservative party were in government when the Matford Brook Academy contract was awarded, said: “While I welcome the fact staff, parents and pupils now have more clarity on the future of the school building, serious questions need to be answered about how a brand-new building could be deemed unfit before it has even been used.
“The school community has been waiting far too long to benefit from these new facilities and a lot of public money has been wasted.
“I will do everything I can to support the Academy and ensure these issues are resolved as quickly as possible.”
Devon County Council has confirmed the cost for the construction of the building came entirely from the DfE.
The Academy is part of the Ted Wragg Trust and so it isn’t directly overseen by the county council, which has responsibility for education in the county.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The safety of children is our top priority which is why we are rebuilding Matford Brook school.
“Pupils are currently being taught in temporary accommodation and we are working closely with the school to ensure there is no disruption to pupils’ day-to-day education.”
It’s understood an independent review identified “fundamental issues” with the partially completed building, meaning it did not meet the required standards.
The Department added a contractor with a “strong track record” would be appointed to rebuild the building, and that the firm had “undertaken completion of a number of recovery projects successfully”.
A spokesperson for Devon County Council said it understood from the DfE that the “most practical way forward” was to demolish the building and rebuild.
“Naturally, as the local educational authority for Devon, we are very disappointed to hear of further delays to the government-funded building programme, but welcome the news that a decision has finally been made and a full rebuild has been agreed,” the spokesperson said.
“We are continuing to work with Ted Wragg Trust, which has led the school during this period where the long-term future of the building has not been clear.”
The decision will mean pupils will continue to have lessons in temporary buildings until at least 2028.
Construction on the site began in 2021, but by 2023, significant construction issues, including problems with its foundations, became apparent.
Its first intake of pupils had to attend St Luke’s, which is a few miles away, as it was claimed the new building was missing structural bolts.
The collapse of primary contractor ISG in 2024 caused more delays.
Cllr Connett said: “How on earth a brand new, never-used school is being demolished begs many questions about the management and oversight of that contract, in my view.”
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