A school forced to close some of its classrooms after potentially dangerous concrete was discovered is to get government money to rebuild.
The Department for Education (DfE) has published information on how it will permanently remove reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) from all the affected schools and colleges across the country.
It confirms that Wallingford School will be part of the Government’s School Rebuilding Programme.
Abingdon and Witney College will also receive a grant to help remove the material which contains bubbles which makes it susceptible to water damage, weakening its structure.
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Wallingford School discovered last September that RAAC panels were used in the construction of its Blackstone block and re-roomed the six classrooms affected.
Last December Abingdon and Witney College confirmed that following surveys across all its campuses, one small area of RAAC had been identified in one building at the Witney campus.
As a result, the college closed one classroom.
John Mason School in Abingdon updated parents in early September that some RAAC had been found in the school.
Larkmead School in Abingdon staggered its opening for the September term because, it said, the Government had been too slow to respond to the RAAC survey it had submitted.
A small part of Hardwick School in Banbury was also reportedly being affected by RAAC and a survey was undertaken.
A total of 234 education settings in England have been identified as having RAAC in some areas of their buildings, which is a slight rise on 231 on November 27.
The Department for Education (DfE) said 119 of these schools will have one or more buildings rebuilt or refurbished through the rebuilding programme as works to remove RAAC are more extensive or complex.
A further 110 schools and colleges will receive a grant.
Five other schools and colleges have alternative arrangements in place, the DfE said.
The DfE has said its RAAC identification programme is now complete as 100 per cent of schools and colleges with blocks built in the target era have responded to their questionnaire.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “Nothing is more important to me than the safety of every child and member of staff in school.
“We will continue to work closely with schools and colleges as we take the next step to permanently remove RAAC from affected buildings.”
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Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “We welcome this much-needed clarity on the nature of the work to remove RAAC from the schools and colleges affected.
“This is an important step, but it is only one step towards solving this crisis and a number of unanswered questions remain.
“Given the severe pressures on the school estate as a whole, we need assurances that this work will be funded wholly through additional capital expenditure and money will not be diverted from other sources.
“There must also be clear timelines set out for when this work is going to be completed."
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