Specialist contractors have been called into a school severely affected by the RAAC crisis to deal the safe removal of asbestos.

The deadly substance has been found in several parts of St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham where many teaching areas are already out of bounds due to crumbling concrete.

Many pupils are being taught at the Ushaw College site five miles away and parents have told a complete rebuild could take until at least 2026.

Meanwhile temporary classrooms are being created on the school playing fields but concerns remain about the lack of specialist facilities for certain subjects.

Headteacher Chris Hammill and Nick Hurn, chief executive of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs the school, confirmed it was now dealing with an asbestos problem as well as RAAC.

In a statement they said: “St Leonard’s has asbestos in several areas and specialist contractors have been commissioned to undertake safe removal and complete other health and safety work needed to allow classrooms to be made safe.

 "We are continuing discussions with the relevant bodies to ensure our students are not disadvantaged through this unprecedented situation."

The challenges face by St Leonards were discussed during a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday called by Durham City MP Mary Kelly Foy.

Schools Minister Damian Hinds has agreed to meet Ms Foy but not agreed to come to Durham to see the situation for himself.

The school has said construction company BAM has been appointed as the delivery partner to rebuild St Leonard’s and will be working with them in the coming weeks and months.  

Earlier this week Ms Foy warned that the school had spent £500,000 on dealing with the crisis but so far only been given £50,000 by the Government leaving it facing an uncertain financial future.

The statement from Mr Hammill and Mr Hurn said: “We are continuing to work closely with the DfE and our partners and are doing everything possible to get our whole school community back together.

“We are making good progress with the substantial temporary structures and contractors have now been appointed to oversee this part of the project.  

"Progress with specialist teaching environments has continued and we are now working with contractors to oversee bringing specialist classrooms on site back into use, with science being an immediate priority.”

The school has written to exam board to ask for special consideration to be given to pupils taking GCSEs and A-levels examinations given the ongoing disruption they have faced since term started in September.

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The school said: “In order to support our case, we have commissioned Professor Stephen Gorard and his team from Durham University to conduct an impact assessment into the effect that this disruption has had on our students and their exam prospects.

“When this research is completed, we will be submitting the report’s conclusions to the various regulatory bodies as part of our case for their consideration.

 "We cannot thank parents and carers enough for their support and continued patience during an extremely challenging time and we will keep them informed as plans continue to develop.”