Ministers have been urged to “get their hands on it” after a new type of brittle concrete caused by a school ceiling collapse sparked chaos in the north east.
North Tyneside council leaders suspect that the specific construction method, rather than RAAC, was to blame for problems that occurred at Fordley Primary in Cramlington two months ago.
Local authorities launched a series of emergency checks across the area following the collapse and later decided three schools needed further investigation. These schools were all at least partially closed, affecting hundreds of students.
Some grades at Fordley are being bused elsewhere, and all students at the other two affected locations have been forced to learn remotely.
Labor shadow schools minister Catherine McKinnell accused the Conservatives of “allowing concerns about the safety of school buildings to interfere with children’s education”.
“Ministers must urgently take stock of the situation and, in addition to the RAAC, clarify the scope of these issues and explain what action they will take, with a clear timetable to ensure all students can return to the classroom.
“After more than a decade of neglect, this crisis is yet another example of a Conservative government not prioritizing children or education.”
Part of Fordley's ceiling collapsed overnight on December 20th. The Year 3 group is learning face-to-face on site, while Years 4 to 6 are being taught elsewhere.
sealed off school area
North Tyneside Council's head of resources, Jon Ritchie, said the authority had “proactively investigated whether other schools had used similar construction methods in all areas of the building as a precautionary measure”.
Preliminary findings suggest further investigation is required at Churchill Community College, Grasmere Academy and Hazlewood Primary.
Pending the full results of the detailed inspection, the school has decided to ‘close that part of the building requiring inspection’.
“If the initial investigation reveals concerns, decisions on full or partial school closures are also made in collaboration with the school,” Ritchie added.
In a letter to parents, Churchill Community College principal Paul Johnson said a building surveyor was on site last week to conduct an inspection.
“I want to reassure you that we are doing everything we can to continue the education of all our students and return to in-person learning as quickly as possible. At the same time, we put everyone's safety at the forefront of our decisions.
“I understand this may be a strain on families and we will work with you to resolve any issues or concerns that we may have.”
In Grasmere, nursery, reception and year 6 pupils returned this week, while other pupils continued learning from home.
Principal Kerry Lilico added in a letter to parents: “It is the responsibility of schools, councils and the DfE to keep children and staff safe in schools. This is our top priority and something we must take very seriously. Measures have been taken to reduce the risk to the school community.”
Reconstruction or grant funding for the RAAC school was confirmed last week, but it is not clear when the work will be completed.
But there are much broader concerns about the condition of school buildings.
The National Audit Office found there are 700,000 students in buildings requiring major repair work and a capital funding shortfall of £2 billion.
Schools Week revealed that ministers' promises to inspect hundreds of post-war school buildings, which were singled out last year by RAAC as a top safety concern, have not been met.
The 3,600 “system-built” classroom blocks built quickly after the Second World War are “prone to deterioration” and “may be at higher risk of hidden structural failures”.