EXCLUSIVE

By Anna Edwards

anna.edwards@essnmedia.co.uk

A former site manager has accused Shirley High of shocking health and safety breaches - including dead rats being found in its drinking water tanks.

Steve Ryan, who worked at the secondary school between October 2008 and April this year, says he came across the vermin in December.

The school insists it has been given a clean bill of health after a Croydon Council inspection in April, although the council's report highlights issues the school needs to work on immediately.

Because Shirley High is a foundation school, its governors are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of the pupils.

Mr Ryan claims the poor water hygiene he found put children at serious risk of Legionnaires' disease.

He said: "I went up on to the science roof to check the cold water tank and found two dead rats in there which I removed.

"The cold water tank provides the school with all its water, the water that comes out of the drinking taps, and Legionella is contracted by dirty water.

"It's a very serious disease, and you've got 900 kids in there and the staff as well, who were in danger."

Mr Ryan had a company internally clean the tank and replace its lining in January.

Croydon Council's April report reveals that in 2006 a Legionella risk assessment was undertaken.

But the company which carried out the safety checks had not inspected all the tanks.

Mr Ryan fears the school's drinking water could have been contaminated for years, as he says no inspections were carried out between 2006 and the one in April.

Croydon Council's latest inspection led to a series of issues being identified for immediate attention.

The report ruled the school had fire doors which needed replacing and that not all staff had been given fire awareness training.

It also revealed there were no heat or smoke detectors in the school's cookery rooms and that the school did not have gas soundness certificates, which show its gas pipes are working properly, since 2007.

Mr Ryan claims he persistently raised his concerns about health and safety with the school.

When his contract was not renewed in April, he wrote to Croydon Council, and as a result its officers carried out the recent inspection.

He said: "I've been doing my job for 25 years so I know what legal requirements a school needs.

"I kept telling them what needed doing but it felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall."

When the Advertiser contacted the school this week we were told headteacher Nigel Barrow was not available to speak as the school was undergoing an Ofsted inspection.

But his PA Jenny Chatfield said: "We were given a clean bill of health by Croydon Council, there is no further comment to make."

Croydon Council confirmed it had acted on Mr Ryan's concerns.

A spokeswoman said: "The local authority has no responsibilities for, and no power to intervene in, pupil health and safety in schools where the governing body is the employer, such as Shirley High.

"Following the allegations, an investigation was launched and the council has advised the school on areas that need to be addressed and this has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive."