Collapse-Risk Concrete Found At Market Harborough Primary School

A Market Harborough primary school has been found to contain concrete which is at risk of collapsing.

The school hall and kitchen at St Joseph’s Catholic Voluntary Academy on Coventry Road have been cordoned off, after Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) was discovered in the building, although the school remains fully open to pupils.

St Joseph’s School

The school is one of 27 additional schools, nurseries and colleges in England where the concrete has been found – taking the total number to 174.

St Joseph’s is part of the St Thomas Aquinas Multi-Academy Trust and Neil Lockyer, Chief Executive Officer said: “We received confirmation from a building surveyor that RAAC had been identified in the school hall, school kitchen and a small storage cupboard at St Joseph’s, Market Harborough on Wednesday 6 September.

“The decision was immediately taken to close off these areas of the school, and parents and carers were made aware at that time.

“Thankfully, the school remains fully open to all pupils with classes operating as normal.

“We are working with our own contractors and the Department for Education to ensure that remedies are put in place in the spaces affected, and that they are back in use as soon as possible.”

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “The government will fund the emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary.

“The government will fund longer-term refurbishment or rebuilding projects to rectify the RAAC issue. Schools and colleges will either be offered capital grants to fund refurbishment work to permanently remove RAAC, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, including through the school rebuilding programme.”