More than 100 schools in England have been told to fully or partially close because they are fitted with a concrete that could suddenly collapse.
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) is a lightweight building material used from the 1950s up to the mid-1990s, but is now assessed to be at risk of collapse.
On Thursday, the Department for Education said it had contacted 104 more schools after 52 of the 156 educational settings containing the concrete took protective steps so far this year.
The Government has not yet published a list of the schools that are affected, although schools minister Nick Gibb told told the BBC’s Today programme “we will publish a list”, but only once they are in a “stable place”.
Though not confirmed, it is estimated that some 24 schools in England have been told to close entirely because of the presence of Raac, the PA news agency understands.
Here, PA lists some of the schools confirmed as being affected.
– Clacton County High School, Essex
In a letter to parents on Friday, executive headteacher Neil Gallagher confirmed his is one of the schools affected by Raac.
On Monday, the school will be closed for all students. It will only be open for Year 7 pupils on Tuesday, with all other children having online lessons. From Wednesday to Friday, the school will be open for Year 7 and Year 11 only, with other cohorts learning online.
– Hadleigh High School, Suffolk
In a letter to parents on Friday, Penrose Learning Trust chief executive Sarah Skinner and Hadleigh High School headteacher Nicola Shingleton confirmed the Ipswich school was affected and “will need to consider delaying reopening or partial closure until the issue has been resolved”.
“We were only made aware of the requirement to close areas where Raac is present at 3pm yesterday and as such are in the process of emergency planning,” they added.
“We will update you either later today or Monday as to whether we need to delay reopening and/or move to partial opening.”
Ms Skinner told BBC News on Saturday: “In one school I have 10 rooms and a staff room that I can’t use.
“My second school, 16 rooms, the gymnasium and some toilets (out of use), and in my third school 12 rooms (shut). So you can see it’s quite considerable.”
– Kingsdown School in Southend, Essex
Louise Robinson, headteacher of Kingsdown School, called parents of students, who are aged between three and 14, on Thursday to tell them the news that the school will be closed next week due to the aerated concrete.
Mayflower Primary School, Leicester
Mayflower Primary School is one of three schools in Leicester that have been told they have buildings affected by Raac that need to be taken out of use, Leicester City Council has said.
The school found out it was impacted before the summer holidays, the council said.
– Parks Primary School, Leicester
A “large proportion” of Parks Primary School in Leicester was forced to close in June after a survey revealed Raac was used in its construction.
Headteacher Caroline Evans told Channel 4 News: “In June we were told we had Raac across the whole of our school and it was in a critical condition, which meant that we had to close a large proportion of our school, leaving only open the reception class and two Year 1 classes and two Year 2 classes.”
Ms Evans was photographed with other staff members in a temporary staff room erected in a school corridor on Friday.
Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy, Leicester
Another affected school, the Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy on the outskirts of Leicester has said it will be closed on Friday September 1 and Monday September 4.
St Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, Peterlee, County Durham
On Friday, the school’s headteacher Frances Cessford wrote to parents to confirm that a “DfE-commissioned survey recently identified that Raac panels were used in the construction” of parts of the school.
She added: “We will therefore be taking part of the school building out of use while we put safety measures in place.
“We appreciate the concern this may raise, but the safety of our pupils and our staff is paramount.
“We are currently working to finalise alternative arrangements and are looking to make provision for all pupils. We will be in touch on Monday once arrangements have been finalised.”
St James Catholic Primary School, Hebburn, South Tyneside
On Saturday, headteacher Francesca Heslop told parents “the school building is out of use while we put safety measures in place” and that it would “unfortunately” also need to be closed on Tuesday.
She added: “We will be in touch on Monday with reference to any virtual learning resources if necessary and an update on any progress.”
– St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School and Carmel College, Darlington
On Friday, Darlington Borough Council said St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School and Carmel College, both members of the Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, also faced some disruption.
In a post on social media, it said: “St Teresa’s has contacted parents to advise that the Trust has taken the difficult decision to close the primary school for the safety of the children, initially until Monday September 11.
“Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
“Carmel College has also advised its parents that the kitchen and library at the college will be temporarily vacated until further investigations have taken place.
“The college will remain open but there will be some disruption to classrooms and only a limited break and lunch menu. Pupils from Year 7-11 are also asked to take a packed lunch for the first week.”
Other affected schools sites include Cranbourne College in Basingstoke; Crossflatts Primary School and Eldwick Primary School in Bingley, near Bradford; Abbey Lane Primary School in Sheffield; Scalby School in Scarborough; St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham; Winter Gardens Academy in Essex; and Corpus Christi Catholic School in Brixton, London.