Preston high school forced to delay academic year 'added to rebuilding programme'

Our Lady’s Catholic High School in Preston is among the schools affected

A Preston school that had to delay the start of its academic year after it was found to contain a type of concrete that can collapse without warning has been added to the government’s school rebuilding programme.

Our Lady’s Catholic High School in Fulwood will either be heavily refurbished or partially reconstructed as a result of the move. It was one of more than 100 nationwide whose gates initially stayed shut in September when they were expected to reopen after the summer holiday.

The St. Anthony’s Drive secondary remained closed to its 900 pupils for the first week of the autumn term, while safety checks were carried out. It came after a change in government guidance regarding what is officially known as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete – or RAAC – which can fail when it reaches the end of its natural lifespan.

The Department for Education (DfE) has now announced how it will rectify the 234 education facilities where the material – dubbed “crumbly concrete” – has been confirmed. Our Lady’s is amongst 119 establishments where the work required to remove RAAC is expected to be “more extensive and complex”, meaning that “one or more buildings [will need to be] rebuilt or refurbished”.

The DfE has given no further details about the extent of the remedial action needed at any of the schools, nor when it will take place. Ahead of Our Lady’s delayed reopening in September, headteacher Richard Charnock said in a letter to parents that “large parts of the school site which have now been confirmed to be unaffected and safe to use”.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has attempted to contact the school, the Diocese of Lancaster and the DfE for comment. Preston city councillor John Potter, who represents the Cadely ward, in which Our Lady’s is based, said: “Parents will naturally be worried about what disruption this will cause students. With Covid, these children have had enough interruptions to their schooling over recent years – I hope this is sorted quickly.”

Ian Watkinson, Preston branch secretary of the National Education Union – and chair of its North West Health and Safety Forum – told the LDRS it was “welcome news that some schools will be rebuilt and RAAC removed”.

However, he added: “There is no new money in this announcement. The DfE will have less money in its capital spending and maintenance budgets, which will have a knock-on impact on thousands of other schools in disrepair needing and waiting for work.

“As ever, it’s a sticking plaster approach and, not unlike the ongoing asbestos crisis in our schools, there still isn’t a meaningful government plan to tackle all school building issues and make our schools safe.”

There are now 513 schools on the government list for work as part of the 10-year school rebuilding programme, with a priority order being determined by a range of criteria – including buildings being “of specific construction types that require replacement”. However, it has not been revealed exactly where each of the RAAC-affected premises will be slotted in to the schedule.

The government says it has “compiled one of the largest and most comprehensive surveys of school building conditions in Europe – the first of its kind – to help us understand the condition of the school estate and target funding to where it is most needed”.

“We have invested over £15 billion since 2015 to keep schools in good working order, including £1.8 billion committed for 2023-24.

“Where the department is alerted to significant safety issues with a building, [which] can’t be managed within local resources, we consider additional support on a case-by-case basis.”