More schools across Liverpool could be named as containing crumbling concrete according to the education secretary.
In September, it was confirmed Dixons Broadgreen Academy was among 43 locations across the country to have autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in its structure. A letter to parents from headteacher Rachael Fidler said how the school’s catering area was identified to have the concrete present in the building but teaching areas were not impacted.
A freedom of information request by the ECHO uncovered how a further 17 locations across the city were investigated for RAAC and Gillian Keegan MP, Secretary of State for Education, said more could be found in due course.
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A full list of schools was released by the Department for Education (DfE) in October. Dixons confirmed its Broadgreen site, which the Trust took over in 2021, was impacted but outside of the learning environment.
Writing to families, Ms Fidler said: “On our inspection, it was identified that RAAC is present in parts of our building, and although we have not been asked to close by the DfE, we have immediately closed off these areas as an additional precautionary measure. These are not areas where learning takes place, and as such, your child’s education will not be affected by these changes.
“The school will be open as usual and there will be no impact on learning.”
A response to a Freedom of Information request to Liverpool Council in September confirmed the locations that had been under inspection by the DfE to establish any presence of RAAC in their structures. Among them were two special educational needs (SEND) schools and a maintained primary school.
The Freedom of Information request confirmed Abbot’s Lea in Woolton, Clifford Holroyde in Knotty Ash and Gilmour Primary in Garston had been visited during the latest round of investigations. A site run by an unnamed multi-academy trust (MAT) had also had to close off an area to the public owing to concerns over its building work.
Abbot’s Lea provides education for more than 300 students aged three to 19 living with autism while Clifford Holroyde is a specialist SEND facility for boys aged 11 to 16. It is expected all three sites will have inspections completed by the end of the week.
Further information requests revealed 17 education centres across the city were analysed in 2022.
Structural surveys were carried out by Kier Workplace Services last April at Abercromby Nursery School, Everton Early Childhood Centre, Broadgreen Primary, Fazakerley Primary, Knotty Ash Primary, Monksdown Primary, Norman Pannell, Rice Lane Primary, St Michaels Hamlet Primary, Sudley Juniors, Sudley Infants, Woolton Primary, The Beacon, St Cleopas, St Margaret's CE Primary, Princes School and Sandfield Park.
Speaking to the LDRS on a visit to St Christopher’s Catholic Primary School in Speke, Mrs Keegan said more sites could yet be named. She said: “100% of the questionnaires have now been filled in and most of the surveys have been done. The 17 schools in Liverpool are part of 231 that we’ve published, there’ll probably be a few more by the time we’ve finished all the second surveys, we’re going into a few at the moment.”
RAAC was not identified in any of the 17 sites, but further investigations were carried out at Sudley Juniors, Sandfield Park, Woolton Primary and Monksdown after initial probes took place.
The education secretary added: "Less than 1% of the schools have RAAC, of the schools that do, we have a project director working with them now to figure out whether we’re going to grant funding or rebuild the whole school. That’ll be a practical decision based on the extent of RAAC and how much of it is in a school area.
“We’re at the point now where all kids are in face to face education, of the 231 schools three are still hybrid but the vast majority don’t have RAAC and we’ll be announcing more shortly.”
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