Robbie gig forces school closures

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Schools in north Leeds have been told to close because of fears this weekend's Robbie Williams concerts will cause traffic chaos.

Leeds City Council said 11 schools would close for all or part of Friday, when 90,000 fans were expected to descend on Roundhay Park.

A further two schools have introduced special arrangements for parents who want to pick their children up early.

A number of roads around the area will close for Friday and Saturday's shows.

Russell Fletcher, whose daughter has been told to stay away from Allerton Grange School, said he was furious with the closure.

'Absolutely despicable'

"It is absolutely despicable", he said.

"It is a new term; the kids, teachers, everybody is back at school, ready to get into it and they have closed already."

He is only Robbie Williams, he is not bigger than education Denetta Copeland, mother of two

Another mother, Denetta Copeland, whose two children are pupils at Moor Allerton Hall Primary School, said the closure would cause many knock-on effects for parents.

She said: "It is going to cause an outward spiral; it is affecting schools, which is affecting parents, which is affecting the workforce, which is affecting other people who are now being brought in to do the childcare, or the picking up from school.

"He is only Robbie Williams, he is not bigger than education."

Other schools affected include Parklands Girls High and Roundhay School Specialist Technology College, while Moortown Primary and Kerr Mackie Primary are among four schools closing at lunchtime.

'Reluctant decision'

A spokesman for Education Leeds said the authority had worked closely with schools to assess what problems would be caused by the road closures and expected congestion.

He said: "Some head teachers who felt that there was a large risk that children and young people would not be able to travel home safely or in good time have, in the best interests of the children, reluctantly taken the decision to close their schools.

"We will continue to work closely with the schools involved to try to resolve the concerns of parents and ensure that any disruption to the normal routine of their children is kept to a minimum."

Leeds City Council said roads around the area would be closed to all except emergency and access vehicles between 1000 BST and 0300am on Friday and Saturday.