Crumble-risk concrete found at another school in region
A school in Stourbridge has identified crumble-risk concrete in a "small section" of the site "that is not accessed by pupils or teaching staff".
Redhill School has sent a letter out to parents and carers which said the section containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) had been 'locked off'.
The school in Junction Road is open as normal for students.
RAAC is a lightweight building material used up to the mid-1980s but has since been assessed to be at risk of collapse.
Last week it was revealed that more than 150 schools, nurseries and colleges in England had been told by the Government to close classrooms and other buildings that contained the material.
In the letter, parents were told that Redhill School had been working with the Department for Education since the start of the year and in the spring a survey of the school site was commissioned.
It said: "The results of the survey identified that RAAC was not present in any areas of the school that the students or teachers can access. "No classrooms or communal areas of the school have RAAC within them.
"RAAC was identified in a small section of the school that is not accessed by pupils or teaching staff, this area is locked off.
"Following the results of the survey, we have acted on the guidance from the DfE to ensure that Redhill continues to be a safe environment for all.
"We continue to work with the DfE and their team of specialists."
The school has been contacted for comment.
Sandwell Council said it had also been notified of the possibility that RAAC may be present in the plant room at Brandhall Primary School in Oldbury.
A spokesman said: "We are investigating this further and will know more details later this week. This will not result in any disruption for pupils as this isn’t a room they have access to and learning will continue for all Brandhall Primary School children.”
Wood Green Academy in Wednesbury also announced that a survey of the school in Wood Green Road during the summer found RAAC in some classrooms in the Weston block and that part of the site had closed for safety reasons until remedial work has taken place.
Pupils started to return back to the school yesterday after the summer break, but they are facing staggered start times this week with not all year groups able to be in at once.
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