Now that a full list of schools affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has been released by the Government, parents are calling for accountability as their children’s return to school has been disrupted.
Just days before the start of term, last-minute guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) advised that schools close off areas built using the collapse-prone concrete. The news left thousands of students starting the new school year online or in marquee classrooms.
One school that has been forced to resort to remote learning is St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham – a school which City of Durham MP Mary Kelly Foy said “should not still be standing”.
“This debacle has been abysmally handled,” Ms Foy told i. “It is a disgrace that pupils are facing yet more disruption to their education because classrooms are crumbing around them.”
The father of one pupil entering Year 10 at St Leonard’s told i he is worried the effect further disruptions will have on her education as she begins her GCSEs.
“We don’t know as yet when or where my daughter will be back at school,” said the father, who wished to remain anonymous.
“At the moment, we don’t know when, where or how any sort of provision is going to be provided.”
He continued: “We’re concerned because she obviously missed out [on] a lot of face-to-face learning during her last year at primary and then in Year 7 and Year 8.”
His daughter, he said, found lockdown and online lessons difficult during the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw widespread interruptions to in-person learning.
“She needs social contact,” he added.
In a letter to parents and carers on Friday, Nick Hurn, the CEO of the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust which runs St Leonard’s, said the DfE had deemed that the school must not re-open as planned for the start of term this week.
An update on the school’s website on 4 September said that St Leonard’s also remained off limits to staff, meaning exercise books and learning materials were currently inaccessible.
“[My daughter] should have been in lessons today at St Leonard’s,” the father said, explaining that online lessons are due to begin Monday, 11 September.
“She’s going to start project work online for tomorrow and Friday – I don’t quite know fully what that means yet,” he added.
As students prepare to tune in to lessons remotely, the school said it was exploring the option of alternative teaching spaces that could see its roughly 1400 pupils split between nearby council offices, available rooms at Durham University, and any buildings on St Leonard’s campus that are found to be RAAC-free or made safe for use.
A latest update sent to parents from St Leonard’s via email on Wednesday and seen by i said that surveyors had now visited twice this week to identify parts of the school which could be used, and that the school was “looking at plans that may enable pupils on site next week”.
The email continued that the university had offered use of its science labs, which St Leonard’s hoped could be available imminently.
Prior to these latest developments, St Leonard’s reportedly had plans for a rebuild of the school on the same premises over the next three years – plans which according to Ms Foy, have been a long time in the making.
“The school leadership have been seeking a rebuild for over 15 years due to worsening conditions, but short-sighted cuts have meant classrooms are today closed rather than refurbished,” the City of Durham MP told i.
“The DfE have plunged teachers, parents and pupils into this chaos and yet seem reluctant to admit responsibility nor set out a clear plan how we can get education resumed as soon as possible.”
Ms Foy’s office were unable to confirm whether those funding cuts came at the local or DfE level.
A letter to parents from the school in 2017 noted concern over the “deterioration over time” of the school’s buildings, with no progress having been made on a solution despite various efforts and plans having been made since as far back as 2006.
Ms Foy also raised concerns about the need for an “urgent rebuild” at St Leonard’s in a 2022 parliamentary debate, saying the school’s roof was in a “shocking condition”.
The St Leonard’s parent said that despite the disruption and uncertainty, the school’s headteacher, Chris Hamill, had been “excellent” in his communication, which has reportedly included daily updates to parents via email.
However, the pupil’s father added that he wants those responsible for the ongoing concrete crisis to be held accountable.
In a media statement, the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust – which is also involved in two other affected schools, St Anne’s Catholic Primary School and St Benet’s Catholic Primary School – said: “We are working closely with the DfE now to identify suitable measures that will enable us to recommence the education of our children as soon as possible.”
