Harborough school to undergo £500,000 upgrade after hall and kitchen found to have been built with unsafe concrete

A Harborough school will undergo a £500,000 upgrade after its hall and kitchen was found to have been built with unsafe concrete.

St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy is one of some 200 schools across the country affected by Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) - a lightweight form of concrete which is weaker than normal and could be prone to collapsing.

Concerns have been raised about the long-term durability of the material and the Department for Education instructed last year that any affected space should be vacated.

Since then children at the school on Coventry Road have been forced to eat lunch in their classrooms and kitchen staff have cooked food offsite before transporting it to the school.

Headteacher Margaret Dabbs said: “The children have been truly amazing over the last few months, they have been so adaptable, they have wrapped up wrap on cold days so that they can still have their PE lessons outside, they have been eating their lunches in their classrooms every day, meaning that on rainy days they may not leave their classroom all day.

“Our staff have gone above and beyond covering extra lunch duties, to make sure that all the children are well looked after. Teachers' classrooms are being used as learning spaces, dining spaces and play spaces. It has needed a lot of flexibility.

“We have tried to keep things running as smoothly as possible. We were lucky enough to be able to host our nativity plays in our neighbouring Catholic Church.”

The Department of Education has now agreed to carry out work on the affected school hall, kitchen and storage spaces.

Mrs Dabbs added: “This is wonderful news and represents an investment in the region of £500,000 in the school. Obviously, this is a large and complex project, but we are hopeful the work will be completed by the beginning of the new school year in August.

“The magnificent staff at St Joseph’s will continue to do all they need to ensure that the children’s care.

“Throughout all of these changes and adaptations, our parents have continued to be so supportive and understanding - we are blessed to be part of such a wonderful community.”