Large secondary school in Milton Keynes contains unsafe RAAC concrete, newly-published government list reveals

A secondary school inMilton Keynescontains unsafeRAACconcrete, a newly-published government list have revealed.

Denbigh School at Shenley Church End is one of 147 school inEnglandbuilt with the reinforced autoclave aerated concrete, which is in danger of crumbling at the end of its 30 year lifespan.

The school is now 33 years old. But it is understood the lightweight RAAC material is only present in its sports hall building, and this has now been closed to students and staff for urgent remedial works to take place.

The remainder of the school is operating as normal, with all pupils beginning their new term today (Wednesday).

Earlier this week the Department for Education (DfE) said that any school buildings with RAAC "should no longer be open". Though experts had known about the RAAC problem for some time, the situation became urgent recently after there were three “sudden failures” involving the material in buildings.

Immediate investigations began and today it was announced that fewer than 1% of all education settings in England have confirmed cases of RAAC. The majority of settings have already been able to put mitigations in place to open on time, with 104 settings providing face-to-face learning for all pupils this week, say government officials.

A further 20 settings have put hybrid arrangements in place, with some pupils learning off-site, while 19 have delayed the start of term by a few days.

The Chancellor has confirmed that the government will spend whatever it takes to keep children safe. This includes paying for the emergency mitigation work, including alternative classroom space where necessary.

Denbigh School, which is part of the Denbigh Alliance Multi-Academy Trust (MAT), was built in the early 1990s and opened fully in 1992. It had moved from the original Denbigh site in Bletchley’s Cornwall Grove, where the old buildings have since been demolished.

The school has been provided with a dedicated caseworker to provide support while the RAAC problem is addressed.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Funding for emergency mitigation work, including structural support and temporary accommodation, will be available.

"We are also expediting surveys and urging all responsible bodies to tell us what they know about RAAC, so we can be confident that settings are safe and supported.”