Good morning,
We are all looking forward to welcoming our pupils back to school on Tuesday and are excited about the year ahead. All Y7 and Y12 pupils should be in school for 8:35 and the remainder of the school should be in no earlier than 10:45, ready for period 3.
There has been a lot of coverage in the media over the past week about school closures due to RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete).
The DfE has been helping education settings and responsible bodies (such as local authorities and multi-academy trusts) to identify and manage the potential risks of RAAC since 2018. You can find more in the Education Hub article published by DfE.
We appreciate the concern this may raise, and we will always prioritise the safety of your children and our staff.
We do not have any confirmed RAAC in our buildings and have not been asked to close any areas. However, we want to take care and to be sure, and are currently working with the DfE to actively check whether RAAC has been used in the construction of any part of our buildings. If RAAC is identified, we will let you know straight away, and we have contingencies in place.
The change in guidance is precautionary in nature, and only affects education premises where the presence of RAAC has been confirmed. DfE is offering us access to surveyors who are helping us do these checks quickly.
Any contingency plans will prioritise the continuation of education and ensure that, if RAAC is identified, any impact on pupils is kept to an absolute minimum. Rest assured that the safety of pupils and staff is of paramount importance to all concerned.
Enjoy the final day of the school holidays and what looks like the best of the summer weather.
