Parents in South Yorkshire being reassured over crumbling concrete at schools
RAAC has been found in Abbey Lane Primary in Sheffield
Parents in South Yorkshire are being told that Abbey Lane Primary school in Sheffield 'is safe' despite being identified recently in the concrete crisis.
Children will be returning there from today, with the new academic year beginning, as repair works continue to remove any remaining RAAC from the building.
Last week - the department for education confirmed up to 104 schools in the UK had the 'unsafe' type of concrete in their structure.
Dr Theo Hanein is a cement scientist at the University of Sheffield: "The strength of the concrete is much less than normal concrete, There'll be areas where you can have no heavy loads, like your internal walls or your roofs.
"The corrosion depends on the environment- the concrete will behave differently in different environments.
"We need to know which areas of the country will be most prone to the highest risk."
RAAC was found in the roof above the kitchen at Abbey Lane, with the school open as normal this week.
Last week Cllr Dawn Dale, Chair of the Education, Children and Families Committee, at Sheffield City Council said:
“One school in Sheffield has Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and we have worked with parents and carers at Abbey Lane Primary School over the last few months to reassure them that RAAC will have minimal impact on Abbey Lane Primary School.
“Alternative meal arrangements will be in place from next week as the replaced roofing covers the kitchen area.
"This information has been communicated to parents and carers of children who attend the school.
“Work started in July to replace the RAAC at the school, which will cost £620,000 from our capital budgets. The work is expected to be completed by 1st December 2023.”
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) is a lightweight building material used from the 1950s up to the mid-1990s, but is now assessed to be at risk of collapse.
On Thursday, the Department for Education said it had contacted 104 more schools after 52 of the 156 educational settings containing the concrete took protective steps so far this year.
The Government has not yet published a list of the schools that are affected, although Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told MPs on Monday that it will be released "this week".