An MP has said he ‘completely understands the importance’ of face-to-face teaching and will ensure that a Bucks school has its ‘voice heard’ in Westminster as concern continues to grow about the disruption to studies caused by crumbling concrete.

It was announced on Friday that Waddesdon Church of England Secondary School near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire was one of the 156 establishments that had been contacted by the Department of Education due to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) potentially being present in its structure.

Greg Smith, MP for Buckingham who is also responsible for the Waddesdon area, has now voiced his solidarity with Waddesdon School.

He said: “As soon as I was briefed by the Education Minister last Friday lunchtime, I immediately made contact with the Headteacher and have been doing all I can to assist the school, alongside Buckinghamshire Councillors. I have offered my full support to ensure the school has the resources it needs for both immediate support and for the future.

“Having three young children I completely understand the importance of face-to-face teaching. I will ensure that the school has its voice heard here in Westminster and the resources it needs to get new classrooms up and running as quickly as possible.

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“I want to thank the headteacher Matthew Abbott and his whole team for their incredible work reacting to this incredibly difficult situation so professionally and quickly.”

Matthew Abbott, headteacher at Waddesdon, said that “urgent interim arrangements” had been put in place for students, with a shift to online teaching for Years 9, 10, 11 and 13 upon the commencement of the new school year this week.

He described the situation as “extremely regrettable”, adding that the safety of the school community “has to take priority”.

It comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed that 95 per cent of England’s schools were unaffected by the crumbling concrete, leaving open the possibility that over a thousand could still be impacted.

Anita Cranmer, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services said on Friday that the council were continuing to build a “full and final picture” of the impact the discovery of RAAC in a local school would have on students.

She added: “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.”