Letter from the Director of Education

Richard Lynch

Director Education, Skills & Early Years

Oldham Council

Civic Centre

West Street

Oldham

OL1 1NL

E Mail: richard.lynch@oldham.gov.uk

Dear Parent/Carer

Blessed John Henry Newman Roman Catholic College

As you will no doubt be aware, we continue to experience some very difficult issues with the building at

Newman College. Although some repairs have been carried out by the contractors to the atrium roof over

the summer period, this hasn’t yet resolved the issues of leaks occurring around the school site and I would

like to offer my sincere apologies for any continued disruption your child continues to experience in college.

As you may also be aware, the college was built by a large construction company under what’s known as a

Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Although the terms of any PFI contract are complex and far from

satisfactory from either the school’s or the Council’s point of view, working this way meant that the council

and the diocese could secure sufficient funds to have the school built to try and ensure Oldham children

could experience their education in a state-of-the-art learning environment.

The Head Teacher and Governors at the college do a great job of managing the school, with all the

challenges the building issues present to the safe and effective delivery of education. The ongoing issues

however make this job even more difficult and I wanted to write to reassure you that the council is working

hard with the Head and governors to get the company responsible for the building and their facilities

management contractor to fix the issues of leaks and other problems as early as possible, in line with the

terms of our contract with them.

Of course, any disruption to your child’s education is unacceptable so we are pressing the contractors to

address these serious faults with the building once and for all and will continue to work with the college to

ensure this is done as early and as well as it possibly can be.

We will keep you up to date with planned developments through college communications and will work with

all concerned to keep further disruption to an absolute minimum.

In the meantime, thank you again for your patience with these matters and for your continued and ongoing

support for Newman College, its staff and leaders.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Lynch

Director, Education Skills & Early Years