Uncertainty for school with faulty concrete

The concrete was found during a survey of one block at Wood Green Academy, the school's head teacher said

Students at a Wednesbury school face disruption at the start of the new term after a building was found to contain a type of concrete at the centre of safety concerns.

More than 100 schools in England have been told to close areas with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) unless they can be made safe.

The government escalated concerns over the material on Thursday, just days before the new academic year.

RAAC was found at Wood Green Academy, Wednesbury, over the summer, its head teacher said.

In a letter to parents, James Topham wrote the school was expecting to fully open on Wednesday, but added that could change.

Sandwell Council said it was possible there may be a partial closure at the school but final surveys would confirm the amount of remedial work that would be needed.

It said parents and carers would be contacted early next week to confirm arrangements for students who are due to return to school on Wednesday.

An initial survey for RAAC found it in part of the Weston block at the academy.

Mr Topham said further investigations led to the block being immediately closed until it could be made safe.

Until the government's announcement on Thursday, Mr Topham said the school had planned to open to all students, although some classrooms would close until October.

But a change in policy from the Department for Education (DfE) "has significantly increased the likelihood of disruption to the start of the new academic year", he wrote.

'Incredibly frustrating'

A total of 156 schools in England have been confirmed as having RAAC since 2022.

Of those, 52 were deemed a critical risk, and safety measures have already been put in place.

The others have been left contemplating how to welcome back pupils after the government's latest guidance, sparked by the collapse of a beam previously considered to be safe.

Mr Topham said he realised news of "possible disruption" would be "incredibly frustrating" and he could not give more information until after further meetings with the DfE.

Bellfield Junior School in Northfield, Birmingham, was not one of the schools affected but the timing of the announcement was "horrendous", its head teacher Nigel Attwood said.

"It is the worst nightmare. All your planning, everything you've got ready for your new intake, children moving up year groups, you haven't got enough time to put things in place," he added.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said the government had been "very proactive", and his department had moved quickly once new evidence of the dangers of RAAC came to light.

Councils in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley have told BBC Radio WM none of their schools were thought to be affected by the RAAC issue.