Four schools in Middlesbrough will close their doors early at lunchtime on Friday following anticipated "transport disruption" connected to a funeral for one of the young men killed in a fatal head-on crash on the A66.
The decision to close early has been condemned as "wrong" by shadow education secretary Laura Trott.
The service on Friday is understood to be taking place for 23-year-old Jakub Matusiak, also known as Jacob, who was travelling in the Volkswagen.
Large crowds, motorbikes and quad bikes are expected to gather in Normanby Road in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough for Mr Matusiak’s funeral.
The fatal collision occurred on 22 August when a Volkswagen Passat, which had been pursued by police, was driven the wrong way along the dual-carriageway and hit a marked armed response vehicle.
The crash killed Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38. Mr Matusiak was also pronounced dead at the scene alongside four other young men: Cole Worthy, 17; Theo Rae, 17; Makai Saddington, 18; and Michael Cahill, 23.
South Bank Primary School will close for pupils at 12pm on Friday “to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our pupils”.
Head teacher Tammy Cooper said in a message shared on Facebook that a funeral is being held locally and they are expecting “large numbers of people in the area which will inevitably cause congestion and transport disruption”.
She said: “This decision has been reached after careful consideration of the potential impact on the departure of pupils, staff and families.
“We recognise the inconvenience this may cause and thank our families for their understanding and co-operation.”
Ms Cooper said the school also recognises “some pupils may feel upset or anxious about the funeral taking place locally” and the pastoral team would be available for support.
Elsewhere Mark Robinson, principal of Outwood Academy in Normanby, said in a letter to parents that the school would also close from midday after discussions between local headteachers and the council.
A vigil for Mr Cahill last week prompted criticism from MPs and police after a crowd set fire to a number of cars in Haswell, County Durham.
A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said: “Following discussions between local headteachers and the local authority, a number of schools in the South Bank area will close earlier than usual on Friday afternoon due to anticipated traffic congestion and transport disruption associated with a local funeral taking place in the area.
“The decision was made after careful consideration of the potential impact on home-to-school transport and the departure of pupils, staff and families at the end of the school day.
“Schools have worked with the local authority and transport providers to consider arrangements for pupils, including those who travel to and from specialist educational settings.
“We recognise that early closure may cause inconvenience for some parents and carers, and we thank them for their understanding and co-operation.”
Education Secretary Lucy Powell said she trusted headteachers to “make judgments that they need to make to keep their school community safe” as several schools in Middlesbrough are due to close early as a funeral for one of the young men killed in a head-on crash on the A66 takes place.
Mrs Powell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “As Education Secretary, I want schools to be open. I want pupils attending schools all the time.
“And these headteachers of these small number of schools have taken a very difficult decision with the local authority and the police for the safety of their school community to close early.
“What I would say is that there are huge anxieties and worries in the communities.”
She said she had been in touch with local MPs and Home Office ministers to put surge policing and extra resources in place to “calm those tensions down and to make those streets safe”.
She added: “I trust headteachers to make the judgments that they need to make to keep their school community safe. I hope this doesn’t have to happen again.”
She also said it was not a time for “party political point scoring”.
“This is a very, very difficult and delicate situation, as you say, and I will always put the safety and wellbeing of children at the forefront of anything I do,” she said.
