School Celebrates After Dangerous RAAC Removed

Pupils at a Market Harborough primary school are celebrating being able to use their hall for the first time in a year.

The area at St Joseph’s Catholic Academy and the adjoining kitchen had to be closed last September, after dangerous concrete was discovered in the roof.

Headteacher Bernadette Dabbs and pupils celebrate the re-opening of the school hall

Pupils had to eat lunch in classrooms and use a near-by hall for PE lessons while plans were made to deal with the issue and a major repair and refurbishment project was carried out, at a cost of half-a-million-pounds.

The work is now complete and a celebration event has taken place attended by staff, pupils, parents and those involved with the repairs.

Headteacher Bernadette Dabbs spoke to HFM:

A temporary roof was put in place while the repairs took place Pic: YMD Boon

The school was only one in Leicestershire affected by concerns over the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), which it emerged was liable to collapse.

These pupils told HFM how it feels to be able to use the hall again:

Work taking place at St Joseph’s Catholic Academy

The Department for Education funded the cost of repairs.

Richard Sidgwick is from Market Harborough-based architects YMD Boon, who oversaw the project: