Hadleigh High School, near Sudbury, to have weekend inspections after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) found on site

A Suffolk school has informed parents and carers of its students that it is set to have inspections this weekend after finding out it has reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) present on the site.

Hadleigh High School in Highlands Road, near Sudbury, which is part of the Penrose Learning Trust, has issued a letter on the front of its website as well as sending out communications.

The BBC has said parents at 156 schools in England confirmed to have RAAC should have already been contacted. Parents who have heard nothing are unaffected, pending further building checks.

This comes after a beam, at an unnamed school in England last week, collapsed after it was previously thought to be safe – 52 schools have been deemed a critical risk so far, and safety measures have already been put in place.

In a letter to parents and carers of Hadleigh High School today, Sarah Skinner, chief executive of the trust and headteacher Nicola Shingleton, said: “We are sure you have heard from the press that a number of schools have been told by the Department of Education to close buildings where RAAC is present.

“Unfortunately, Hadleigh High School is affected by this directive which means that we will need to consider delaying reopening or partial closure until the issue has been resolved.

“We were only made aware of the requirement to close areas where RAAC is present at 3pm yesterday and as such are in the process of emergency planning.”

The letter says that surveys of the school will be completed over the weekend and an update will come as to whether the school will delay its reopening or open partially for the new term next week.

The statement concluded: “Thank you in advance for your support in this matter; we are committed to solving the problem as quickly as we can and ensuring the safety of students and staff.”