School in Stroud closes building after unsafe concrete found
One of the buildings at Marling Secondary School and Sixth Form has shut as a precaution after RAAC was found
A school in Stroud has been forced to close one of it's buildings after unsafe concrete was found.
After the Department for Education changed the safety guidance, Marling School and Sixth Form undertook a survey finding RAAC, which is at risk of collapse.
The school says it is just as a precaution and the school is still open to all students.
Statement from the school:
A recent site survey has confirmed that Marling School and Sixth Form has one small section of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), used in the construction of a flat-roofed, single-story building at the rear of our Design Technology block.
The same survey confirmed the rest of the school does not have RAAC in its construction. The Department for Education last week changed its guidance to education settings on the management of RAAC to take a more precautionary approach, and as a result areas in affected spaces will be vacated.
Marling Headteacher Glen Balmer says, “Our school is open to all students. The area affected by RAAC, which includes two Design Technology classrooms, will be closed at the start of term (Wednesday 6th September) to ensure everyone's safety, while remedial work is planned and implemented.
"During this period, the school's Design Technology team are developing solutions to ensure their full curriculum is effectively delivered. As the rest of our large campus has been confirmed free of RAAC, the school will otherwise be functioning as normal.”