A school in Bucks has announced it will move to remote learning after being alerted that dangerous aerated concrete may be present in its buildings.
It was revealed this morning (September 1) that over a hundred schools and colleges in England had been told to close after they were identified as structures comprising reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), making them especially prone to collapse.
Although the government has not disclosed a list of the 156 schools that were contacted by the Department of Education, Buckinghamshire Council has confirmed that Waddesdon Church of England Secondary School is one of the buildings at risk.
Matthew Abbott, headteacher at Waddesdon, which is located in the village of Waddesdon near Aylesbury, said he was informed on Thursday, August 31 that RAAC material is potentially present in two areas of the school site.
He said "urgent interim arrangements" had been put in place for students, who were due to return to the school just next week.
"The Department of Education guidance now states that any areas that may potentially contain this material cannot be used until they are assessed by a structural engineer.
"It means years 7,8 and 12 will attend face-to-face learning while years 9, 10, 11 and 13 will move to remote learning at the start of the year.
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“This is very much an interim position for the first two days of the school year while the full impact and timetable of what is needed is assessed."
Mr Abbott described the situation as "extremely regrettable", adding: "Ultimately, the safety of the school community has to take priority.
"It is, of course, our highest priority to find alternative arrangements that keep any disruption to learning and the normality of a school life to the absolute minimum."
Anita Cranmer, Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet Member for Education and Children's Services said: “We have been working hard to ascertain the impact on Buckinghamshire schools since this news broke and are still in the process of building up a full and final picture.
"We are supporting one school, Waddesdon School, which is on the Department for Education's list and has put interim arrangements in place for the start of the school year.
“It goes without saying that our highest priority is to ensure the safety of students and staff in Buckinghamshire alongside making sure that any disruption to learning and normal school life is kept to an absolute minimum as a result of this situation.”
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