An Oldham school has had to shut its doors and send students home due to a lack of heating and hot water, the school's headmaster has said.

Newman RC College, a secondary school in Chadderton, suffered a leaking radiator over the weekend, which has led to the boiler pressure dropping.

Headmaster Glyn Potts said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the school is a private finance initiative (PFI) school, meaning it does not control the building itself.

Mr Potts said the building owners have not been able to solve the issue, therefore meaning children have had to be sent home today (Monday, December 4).

In the video, Mr Potts said: "It's the 4th of December and it is with regret that we are having to close the school today.

"The school is a PFI school which means as a school we don't actually control the building, nor do we have the ability to influence it beyond through contractual means.

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"Over the weekend, a radiator has leaked, which has meant that the pressure within the boiler system has dropped and the building owners have been unable to rectify that in such an extent that heating and hot water are no longer available to us in the building.

"I realise this will be a great sense of frustration to parents, but unfortunately, we were in the hands of their opinion and their contractual requirements to fix the problem within a time frame and at 8.30am, with them being unable to give the assurances we need, I've had to take the decision to ask for students to return home."

Mr Potts said the school would make sure there was remote learning in place and apologised "profusely" to parents and students.