MIDDLESBROUGH SCHOOLS SHUT EARLY FOR FUNERAL — HEADTEACHERS ACCUSED OF ‘GIVING IN TO THUGS’

CHILDREN WERE SENT HOME FROM SEVERAL MIDDLESBROUGH SCHOOLS AS HUNDREDS OF MOURNERS, MOTORBIKES AND QUAD BIKES WERE EXPECTED TO DESCEND ON THE AREA FOR THE FUNERAL OF A YOUNG MAN KILLED IN THE DEADLY A66 CRASH.

The decision immediately sparked a political row.

Several schools in the South Bank area closed their doors around lunchtime on Friday, September 4, ahead of the funeral of 23-year-old Jakub Matusiak, one of five young men who died in the August 22 A66 collision.

Large crowds were expected around St John the Evangelist Church on Normanby Road, with police warning of possible traffic disruption and delays.

But what was described by school leaders as a safety decision was condemned by critics as allowing disorder to dictate whether children could attend school.

WHY WERE THE SCHOOLS CLOSED?

South Bank Primary School was among those that closed at midday.

Headteacher Tammy Cooper said the school expected large numbers of people in the area and anticipated congestion and transport disruption.

She said the decision had been made after considering the potential impact on pupils, staff and families leaving the school.

Other schools, including Outwood Academy in Normanby, also announced early closures following discussions involving local headteachers and the council.

The decision was not simply based on the funeral itself.

Police had warned that large crowds, motorbikes and quad bikes were expected to gather around the procession.

The concern came just days after a vigil for another victim of the crash descended into disorder, with several vehicles set on fire at a gathering in County Durham.

POLITICAL BACKLASH

The closures quickly became a national political issue.

Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott criticised the decision, arguing that children should not have their education disrupted because of concerns surrounding a funeral.

She described the closures as wrong and questioned whether authorities were effectively allowing disorder to influence normal life.

But Education Secretary Lucy Powell defended the headteachers.

She said she wanted schools to remain open, but argued that headteachers had a responsibility to make difficult decisions about the safety of pupils and staff.

The local authority also said schools had worked with transport providers and considered the effect on pupils travelling to and from school.

POLICE PREPARED FOR TROUBLE

The funeral triggered a significant police operation.

Cleveland Police said it expected traffic disruption between approximately 3pm and 5pm and deployed a visible presence around the affected areas.

Officers were also conscious of the possibility of disorder following the previous vigil.

Sky News reported that police were positioned around the procession because of concerns about the “prospect of trouble.”

The atmosphere was therefore tense even before the funeral began.

Residents faced road disruption, while a local library and GP services also adjusted their opening arrangements because of the expected congestion.

THEN THE FUNERAL BEGAN

Hundreds of mourners gathered in South Bank to remember Jakub Matusiak.

Many wore black or orange, the latter reportedly being his favourite colour.

His coffin was carried in a horse-drawn carriage, with a procession following behind.

Luxury vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce and Lamborghinis, were also seen as the cortege travelled toward St John the Evangelist Church.

Despite fears of serious disorder, the funeral itself passed largely peacefully.

Police maintained a visible presence, while crowds gathered to pay their respects.

The contrast was striking.

Just days earlier, authorities had been dealing with scenes of vehicles being set alight at a vigil.

This time, hundreds gathered under heavy police observation — but the feared chaos did not materialise on the same scale.

THE CRASH THAT STARTED IT ALL

Jakub Matusiak was one of five young men travelling in a Volkswagen Passat involved in the fatal A66 collision on August 22.

The vehicle was travelling on the wrong side of the dual carriageway when it collided head-on with a marked police vehicle.

Matusiak, 23, died alongside Michael Cahill, 23; Makai Saddington, 18; Cole Worthy, 17; and Theo Rae, 17.

The two police officers inside the other vehicle, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, also died.

The crash has since triggered investigations, arrests and intense public debate across Middlesbrough and the surrounding area.

A COMMUNITY LEFT DIVIDED

The school closures exposed a deeper argument.

One side says schools and public services must be protected when large gatherings create genuine safety and transport concerns.

The other asks whether communities are being forced to change their normal routines because authorities fear what crowds might do.

For parents, however, the issue was more immediate:

Could their children safely get home?

Headteachers said they had to make that judgment.

And while politicians argued over whether the closures were justified, hundreds of mourners gathered to say goodbye to Jakub Matusiak.

In the end, the funeral passed without the widespread disorder some had feared.

But the controversy over whether schools should ever have had to close remains — and it has become another chapter in the growing tensions surrounding the aftermath of the A66 tragedy.