A primary school headteacher has said she is ‘shocked and upset’ after her school became the latest in the North East to close due to concerns about crumbling concrete.

Kader Academy in Middlesbrough has told parents it will be shut next week following an inspection by a building surveyor on Saturday.

Headteacher Alison Mitchinson told parents in a letter staff were doing their best to limit the disruption to pupils.

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In her letter she said: “As you will be aware there are a number of schools and public buildings throughout the country which have recently been identified as having Reinforced Aerated Autoclave Concrete (RAAC) present.

“As per the government (DFE) recommendations Kader Academy has had a RAAC survey of the building carried out today by a Chartered Building Surveyor.

“We were subsequently made aware this afternoon of the presence of RAAC in various locations of the school building.

“In accordance with the latest government guidance, we are unfortunately forced to close the whole school to all pupils with immediate effect.

“This is whilst further investigations take place to ascertain the condition of the RAAC and for any possible mitigation/ remedial works to be carried out.”

Ms Mitchinson said Year 4 children will still be able to go ahead with their school trip on Monday September 11 as planned and asked pupils to meet their teachers on the school playground at 9am with a packed lunch.

The new build nursery will still be open, although those staying for lunch will need to bring a packed lunch as the school does not have kitchen facilities.

The headteacher said: “We fully appreciate that this is an extremely frustrating and unexpected situation for all concerned.

“The last thing we want to do is close the school and disrupt the children's learning and their start to the new academic year but unfortunately, we have no option other than to follow DFE guidance.

“At this moment in time we are unsure as to how the situation may progress next week and are currently unable to give a timescale as to when we will be able to welcome the children back into school.

“Please be assured that we will keep you informed of developments and update you as soon as we can.

“We appreciate that this is a difficult situation, but we ask that you bear with us as we find a way to safely resolve the issue.”

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At the end of the summer holiday more than 100 schools and colleges were told to partially or fully close their buildings with several across the region affected.

It is because reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was used in construction between the 1950s and mid-1990s and is prone to failure.

The roof of a primary school in Kent collapsed in 2018 and RAAC was later found to be to blame.

Ms Mitchinson said the news came as a big shock to teachers at Kader Academy on Saturday afternoon and a full report is expected from the structural engineer on Monday morning.

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She said: “As a senior leadership team we want to carefully go over the recommendations and safely come up with a plan of action to work towards getting children back into school.

“We will be speaking with the DFE on Monday for further information on how to respond and will be in touch with you all on Monday.

“I cannot stress how shocked and upset I am and want to reassure you that we are doing our upmost to limit the disruption this is going to cause.”