Raac school 'needs to improve' as pupils ‘unsettled’

Stowupland High School in Stowmarket admitted it had work to do

A school that had to shut buildings due to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was told by Ofsted that it needed to improve for the second time.

Inspectors said pupils at Stowupland High School in Stowmarket, Suffolk, were "unsettled" and their behaviour was affected when they had to work out of temporary classrooms, on a visit in December 2023.

Despite the educational setting being graded as “requires improvement”, Ofsted acknowledged how staff and leaders had shown "determination and considerable effort" to keep the school open for all pupils.

A spokesperson from the John Milton Academy Trust, which the school is part of, said: "We understand there is work to be done and taken on board the areas for improvement".

The high school, with 1,005 pupils aged between 11 and 18, became part of the trust in 2016.

The school was previously inspected in March 2019, and was rated as "requires improvement".

Ofsted visited the setting in January 2023 for the school's first inspection since Covid-19.

However, inspectors said they were left with an "incomplete" report and visited the school again on 1 December, 2023.

In a report published on Monday, Ofsted said that although the school had "developed the vigilance of its safeguarding", there was still more to do to "stabilise the staff body".

It said: "This is not helped by the school's buildings containing Racc. As a result, important sections of the site are closed."

Raac is a type of concrete described as being light and "bubbly" and had been found in buildings built between 1950s and mid-1990s.

The John Milton Academy Trust said that the Raac was discovered in September in the science laboratories and library, with 17 learning spaces affected in total.

Parents will be updated

The report acknowledged how the school had shown "determination and considerable effort" to stay open to all pupils.

"However, the disruption has been unsettling for staff and pupils. This has affected behaviour."

In the report, the sixth form provisions were rated 'good' after being rated as 'requires improvement' following the last inspection in March 2019.

A spokesperson for trust said: "Work is progressing on preparing temporary classrooms, with some buildings now being in use. Meanwhile, all students remain in face-to-face learning in school.

“Providing the highest standards of education for our pupils throughout this time remains our utmost priority.

“The trust will remain in close contact with the Department for Education and will update parents and carers on any further developments."

The spokesperson added that the trust was pleased with its sixth form grading but understood "there is work to be done and take on board the areas for improvement identified".