Work set to begin on removing crumbling concrete from Hornsey school

Unsafe Raac concrete was discovered at Hornsey School for Girls last year, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Hornsey School for Girls (credit Google)

Almost £1million in funding has been awarded to carry out necessary work to remediate crumbling concrete found at a school in Hornsey last year.

Hornsey School for Girls was earmarked for works after a series of surveys uncovered reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) across the site, including five classrooms, a hall roof as well as the school kitchen and part of the dining room.

The school is one of three in the borough known to contain the type of concrete which has been found to be prone to collapse.

In July 2023 Haringey Council signed a contract worth up to £715,000 for Raac remediation works at Hornsey, however in November Raac panels were discovered in the kitchen and dining room as well.

The kitchen was closed off immediately, with hoarding installed to close off the section affected in the dining room, and a temporary catering facility was provided.

Now the council has awarded a contract to T&B Contractors Ltd worth £956,302, to carry out the necessary works to resolve the issue.

The Department for Education (DfE) updated its policies last year to demand “all Raac panels were to be treated” leading to surveys across the UK and is meeting the costs of the work.

Ann Graham, director children’s services at Haringey Council, said: “We have been proactive and on the front foot in dealing with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), including immediately conducting a comprehensive borough-wide survey of our buildings last year when asked by the Department for Education.

“This meant we were ahead of the curve, with our significant capital funding ensuring temporary and revised accommodation was in place for the start of the autumn 2023 term and every child could attend school, including at Hornsey School for Girls.

“This investment underscores our dedication to providing high quality education facilities and ensuring students in Haringey have access to learning environment which encourages their academic success and well-being.

“We will continue to work closely with the leadership teams at the schools to deliver these projects, ensuring disruption to learning is minimised and the safety of students and teachers remains a top priority.”

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