A SUCCESSFUL school left reeling after being refused funding to bring its buildings up to scratch has been hit with a fresh health and safety blow.

Electricians testing Prince Henry's Grammar School have condemned the electrics in three areas - the Newall annexe (used for IT), the changing rooms at Wharfemeadows Park and the boiler room that pumps the swimming pool.

The news comes only a week after staff, parents and governors were stunned to discover the school had been refused a £6 million Government grant. That Department for Education and Skills (DfES) money would have been match funded and, combined with proceeds from the sale of the former Newall Primary School, used to create a science block.

Councillor Ryk Downes (Lib Dem, Otley and Yeadon) was just about to send a letter to Education Secretary Ruth Kelly urging her to reconsider the bid, when he heard about the electrician's report.

The letter, signed by all three ward councillors, has now been changed to conclude: "We have just learnt that an electrical inspection has condemned parts of the school, primarily the area that this funding would have replaced.

"Thus this funding is critical as part of the school may have to close down and education in temporary accommodation is unacceptable. Please do not ignore the plight of Prince Henry's."

Coun Downes, also a Governor at Prince Henry's, said: "Newall was to be sold off as part of the bid. As a result of the Government not giving funding look at what we're facing.

"This absolutely proves that the bid is an immediate and urgent project. The reality is that Prince Henry's can't wait, we're in a position where due to health and safety considerations they could have to close parts of the school, which is one of the top achieving schools, down.

"The Newall annexe, the old primary school now used as an IT block, was condemned a few years ago and may have to close too due to the state of the electrics.

"My daughter is in Sixth Form there and her form room is actually in Newall so she might have to be evicted and I don't know where she and the other pupils will go.

"This just adds fuel to our argument that the school needs this funding urgently. I've examined the criteria for the money being awarded and to my mind the Prince Henry's bid 100 per cent meets that criteria of having work that is essential and can't wait for other streams of funding.

"The Government needs to explain why it's turned the bid down.

"We're only two years away from the school's 400th anniversary which it will quite rightly be planning to make a big thing of.

"But the plight is desperate and the more we can pressure the people who make the funding decisions into making the right decision the better.

"Money's going to have to be spent on the school to give the children the education they deserve."

Boasting a heritage that stretches back to its foundation in 1607, Prince Henry's, a specialist language college, is oversubscribed and received a glowing Ofsted report last year.

The only major issue raised by the visiting inspectors in 2004 was the poor state of the buildings, something Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland said shocked him on a

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recent visit. Mr Mulholland, who branded the funding knock-back "a disgrace", said the damning electrical report only added weight to the calls for a re-think.

On Tuesday Mr Mulholland tabled urgent Parliamentary questions on the issue to Mrs Kelly, which she is obliged to reply to within three days.

He said: "As one of the best performing educational

institutions in Leeds, it's truly bizarre that the Government have not given it their full backing.

"I hope that Ruth Kelly will respond to my urgent call to reconsider her decision and secure the long term future of Prince Henry's."

Acting Head Teacher John Dean was reluctant to talk publicly about the electrician's report when contacted last week before the school broke for half-term.

However Deputy Chief Executive of Education Leeds, Richard Stiff, said: "We recognise the challenges Prince Henry's face in terms of their buildings and are committed to supporting this excellent school in seeking a long-term solution.

"We're awaiting detailed feedback from the DfES about the unsuccessful bid, which was among a considerable number of bids received from schools across the country.

"Education Leeds officers will continue to work with the school, to address specific issues such as this electrician's report, and to find a way to provide the modern, inspiring facilities students and staff clearly deserve."