Pupils at a primary school told to close when crumbing concrete was found will return to class tomorrow.
St Teresa’s Primary in Darlington was one of more than 100 schools confirmed to have the potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) on the premises.
The Department for Education (DfE) announced last month (August 31) that buildings with RAAC would have to be vacated immediately.
Read more: LISTED: The 14 North East schools confirmed with RAAC as official list released
St Teresa’s has confirmed the school will reopen on Monday (September 11) a week later than planned having been forced to delay the new term for surveys to be carried out.
A Darlington Council spokesperson said: “An extensive survey of St Teresa’s Primary School has now been completed and the situation is better than originally thought.
“The school will now reopen on Monday, September 11 with reception and year groups 1 to 4 taught in school.”
Alternative arrangements have been made for pupils in Years 5 and 6 who will be taught at Firthmoor Community Centre.
On Wednesday (September 6) the government released the full list of schools affected by RAAC, including 14 in the North East.
Earlier this week the Echo revealed one school placed on a watchlist for the deteriorating material had been demolished seven years ago.
Read next:
- Concerns fixing crumbling RAAC could trigger asbestos crisis in schools
- Two schools faced with RAAC closures had funding for repairs withdrawn
- SEN mum speaks of 'impossible task' after RAAC school closures
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RAAC was used in construction between the 1950s and mid-1990s and is prone to failure. Back in 2018 the roof of a Kent primary school collapsed and RAAC was later found to be to blame.
The government faced criticism for the timing of the announcement days before the end of the summer break but ministers insisted they took the decision as soon as possible after the collapse of a beam during the time off.
In June a report from the National Audit Office warned around 700,000 pupils could be attending schools in need of major repairs.
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