'They didn't close for the Queen so why are we closing them for this': Fury as Middlesbrough schools shut ahead of joyrider's funeral
The funeral is understood to be for Jakub Matusiak who was one of five young men killed when a Volkswagen Passat hit a marked police car while going the wrong way down a dual carriageway
Education Secretary Lucy Powell has defended school closures taking place in Middlesbrough to allow the first funeral for one of five young men killed in a head-on crash on the A66 to go ahead.
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Six schools have said they will shut their doors at lunchtime with large groups expected to descend on the area, leading to concerns over congestion and traffic disruption.
The funeral is understood to be for Jakub Matusiak, one of the five young men killed when a Volkswagen Passat hit a marked police car while going the wrong way down a dual carriageway.
Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Ms Powell was questioned why the schools will be closing early to allow the funerals when they remained open during events such as the death of the Queen in 2022.
The minister instead pointed to the "incredibly exceptional situation" leading to difficult decisions being taken by headteachers.
Read more: Should Britain use state troopers to tackle ongoing disorder in Middlesbrough?
Asked by Nick: "When had to say farewell to the monarch, Queen Elizabeth, the schools didn't close there then, and most of London was shut. Is Middlesbrough out of control?"
Ms Powell responded: "There is a huge amount of police surge. Police have gone into that community, extra resources have gone in. Police are all over, the streets are all over that."
Speaking about the school closures, she said: "These are decisions for headteachers to take about the particular circumstances for their schools.
"No headteacher would take these decisions to close early lightly, and they have to put the safety of students and their homes at immediate risk.
"I have spoken to Home Office ministers and the local MP as well and my understanding is there will be a number of road closures right around these schools at the very time that pupils would be being picked up from school.
"The community is feeling very, very anxious about what is happening at the moment.
"That's why huge amounts of extra resources have gone in It's an incredibly exceptional situation for a headteacher to make the decision to close the school early on the Friday for the safety of their school community."
South Bank Primary School said it would be closing at 12pm on Friday "to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our pupils".
In a letter to parents, Mark Robinson, principal of Outwood Academy in Normanby, also said his school would also close from midday after discussions between local headteachers and the council.
Also closing is St Peter’s Catholic College from 12pm, St Margaret Clitherow Primary from 12:15pm, Archway Aceademy from 11:45am, and Mackenzie Thorpe Centre, which is closed all day.
Ms Powell added: "I trust headteachers to make those decisions and they don't take them lightly.
"But as I say, my absolute paramount starting principle is that schools should be open and people should be attending them."
Mr Matusiak, 23, Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Michael Cahill, 23, were pronounced dead at the scene following the crash on August 23.
The two police officers in the other vehicle, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, also lost their lives in the incident.