Primary school closes due to road safety concerns

A primary school was closed after the removal of a zebra crossing sparked road safety concerns for pupils.

Governors at Lakenheath Community Primary School said there had already been "several near-miss incidents" outside its gates prior to the decision.

However, after discussions with Suffolk County Council earlier, it said the site would reopen on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Reform UK-led authority said some of the highways issues had been "out of our control".

The school, which had 269 pupils during its last Ofsted inspection in 2024, moved to a larger building in Station Road in earlier this month, having closed its Mill Road site.

"Since moving to our new school site, we have experienced a number of safety concerns relating to the infrastructure surrounding the school, which have resulted in several near-miss incidents," the governors said, closing the site.

"The removal of a zebra crossing yesterday, which was installed incorrectly, has further heightened our concerns about the safety of our school community."

They stressed pupil safety was the "highest priority" and the decision to close had not been taken lightly.

In a letter to parents in the afternoon, the school's leadership team said a range of safety measures - including the presence of a council roads officer - had been planned and would allow the site to reopen.

Some of the infrastructure issues stemmed from housing developments "not being in step" with the school's construction, the council spokesperson said.

They said a safety audit of the roads around the site was completed prior to opening, but the council needed permission to add its own safety measures to nearby Hepden Road, which was privately owned.

"Despite our best efforts, some of the delays and concerns raised about traffic safety measures have been out of our control," the spokesperson added.

It is not the first time the school's new location has caused controversy in the community.

Parish councillors challenged the move in 2019, claiming it would be too noisy for pupils due to its proximity to RAF Lakenheath.

However, judges at the Court of Appeal threw out their case.

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