Concrete chaos leaves schoolkids still learning from home - some until next year
Hundreds of children are still learning from home as their schools are affected by crumbly concrete. Headteachers told the Mirror that delays with the supply of some temporary classrooms could affect lessons until the start of the summer term.
Thousands of pupils are being transported to separate schools for lessons. A Mirror investigation found 29 schools with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete – or RAAC – have had bids for rebuilding cash turned down by the Government since 2010.
Among the worst affected is Scalby School, in Scarborough, North Yorks, where head Chris Robertson must wait until the summer term for his pupils to get temporary classrooms. Five out of 12 schools where pupils have been forced to study from home for the first six weeks of term had rebuilding cash denied to them, the Mirror found. We exclusively revealed the RAAC crisis in August – two days before the Government announced scores of schools would have to close some or most of their buildings days before the new term.
Portacabins that have been installed at the school (© Glen Minikin)RAAC was used from the 1950s to the 1990s but is considered past its lifespan and there is a risk it could be prone to sudden collapse if not maintained correctly. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at the National Association of Head Teachers, told the Mirror: “Many schools have found it far easier said than done to secure temporary classrooms and some members have told us they are facing delays. We’re now halfway through term and RAAC is still being confirmed in more schools.
“Alternative rooms and buildings are sometimes having to be used which are themselves far from ideal.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has faced criticism for slashing funding for schools rebuilding while he was Chancellor.
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The Department for Education said on August 30 that 147 schools were disrup-ted, with 19 delaying the start of term. Most continued face-to-face learning but 20 mixed this with pupils learning from home and four were fully “remote”.
But an update from October 16 shows the number of schools affected is up 46% to 214 and 12 were still telling some pupils to study at home. Michael McCluskie, of Coast and Vale Learning Trust, which runs Scalby School, told the Mirror that temporary rooms meant to be delivered in eight to 12 weeks are now expected in late March.
Headteacher Chris Robertson next to the steel prop supports (© Glen Minikin)The school, denied funds for rebuilding by the DfE last year, expects to spend £420,000 on RAAC repairs while the temporary classrooms will cost the Government £1million a year. Mr McCluskie said all pupils are back in school and he hopes that a new school will get funding. He added: “We don’t think the school will be able to reopen the way it was. The science block doesn’t look like it will open again.”
St Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form, Co Durham, has had to shut two of its three buildings. Older pupils must travel 15 miles for lessons. Thurstable School, Roding Valley High School, Billericay School and St Clere’s School – all in Essex – have also been hit by delays in securing new spaces.
Trafford College Group told us the DfE is “sourcing temporary accommodation” from January for Marple Sixth Form College in Cheshire. We found 21 of the 214 schools with RAAC problems had projects abandoned when the Tories axed Labour’s Building Schools for the Future pro-ject in 2010. A further 11 failed to win School Rebuilding Programme funding.
Three were rejected for both schemes. Mr Whiteman called for “more timely data from Government on the scale of the problem, and progress in tackling it”. The DfE said: “We are working at pace with schools to identify RAAC and support them to minimise disruption.”
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