Farlingaye High School in Woodbridge becomes fourth Suffolk high school to find RAAC in its buildings

A fourth Suffolk high school has discovered defective Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) on its site.

Farlingaye High School in Ransom Road, Woodbridge, sent out a statement out yesterday from headteacher Peter Smith saying it had been one of the places affected by the Department of Education directive to close buildings where is present.

This follows East Bergholt and Claydon high schools, close to Ipswich, and Hadleigh High School, in confirming they all have RAAC in some of their buildings on their grounds.

Mr Smith added in his statement: “I was only made aware of the requirement to close areas as of 11am this morning (September 1) and as such senior staff are in the process of emergency planning for how best to facilitate the safe return of staff and students to Farlingaye for the start of term.

“There will need to be significant re-rooming of classes and also a creative approach to the use of space to find solutions to add capacity whilst some classrooms are out of action.

“We are in the process of arranging a structural survey which will give an indication of the works needed as soon as possible. Please be assured I am committed to the full return of all students for the start of term, and we are doing all we can to ensure that this is the case.

“However due to the nature of the situation there may be a need to slightly delay reopening to allow time to reorganise and respond to this very dynamic situation. I will write at the start of next week to offer an update. Thank you in advance for your support in this matter.”

The Department for Education says 156 school buildings in the country have been found to have RAAC in them, with around 52 at risk of sudden collapse and urgent action needed, whilst the rest putting in safety measures to ensure they are ready for the return of their pupils.

RAAC was a material used for roofs, floors and walls between the 1950s and the 90s – with a lifespan of around 30 years, it is susceptible to structural failure when exposed to moisture as the bubbles in it allow water into the concrete.