Inspections find problem concrete at two Bradford schools as pupils likely to be taught in portable classrooms

And sections of Eldwick Primary and Crossflatts Primary are likely to be off limits when the school year starts due to the issues.

Bradford Council says at least eight teaching spaces across the two schools are currently off limits to pupils and staff following the inspections.

Teams at Bradford Council have been working over the summer break to survey Council run schools that may have had Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) used in their construction.RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete and was used in the construction of schools, colleges and other buildings from the 1950s until the mid-1990s.

RAAC is different from traditional concrete and because of the way in which it was made is much weaker. The estimated duration of RAAC is around 30 years and so much of the construction that used this material is past its life span.

The presence of RAAC is also the main reason Airedale Hospital needs to be rebuilt.

Because of this, it is important to identify which buildings contain RAAC and require work to become structurally safe.Council building teams worked with surveyors to carry out surveys at 46 Local Authority maintained schools. Of these 45 have so far been surveyed to see whether or not RAAC is present and the surveying of the last remaining school will be completed tomorrow.In the two schools affected, access to areas where RAAC is present is currently prohibited.

Only qualified concrete specialists will be able to access these areas to assess and carry out the required remedial works.

At least eight teaching spaces across both sites have been lost, alongside other staffing facilities across both sites and the loss of the kitchen at Crossflatts.

Bradford Council says education provision will continue at the schools in the short term with alterations to the safe areas so that all children can be accommodated on the school sites.

This was the preferred option of both headteachers. Interim alteration works will be finished by Sunday.The Council added: “A longer term plan is in place to provide temporary classrooms on both school sites.

“These have been ordered and, following relevant ground works on both sites should arrive within the next 8-10 weeks at Crossflatts and 14-16 weeks at Eldwick.”

Sue Lowndes, Assistant Director Schools & Learning for Bradford Council, said:

“I want to thank the headteachers and all the staff at the schools involved and also our teams who have worked incredibly hard in a short space of time to make sure that schools are safe and able to open in September.

“We have carried out specialist surveys to make sure we know whether RAAC is present in the school estate that dates from the time when it might have been used in construction. We have only found two schools where RAAC is present.

“We are putting plans in place for those two schools to make sure no one is put at risk and also to minimise any disruption to children’s education. We know how important it is to make sure children can continue at school. Headteachers at the affected schools are working with parents and staff so we can keep them informed of the changes that are being put in place.”