Schools affected by the reinforced concrete issue
You may have seen in the news that government ministers have asked 104 schools that were constructed using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) to vacate the building or use temporary accommodation until safety works can be carried out.
Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete is less durable than reinforced concrete and deteriorates over time, so is susceptible to sudden failure. It has a life expectancy of little more than 30 years which means that buildings constructed from the 1950s to 1990s that have not been checked by structural engineers are at risk of collapse.
The Government has been monitoring the condition of public sector buildings containing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete since 2018. Just over 50 settings have already been supported to put mitigations in place and in August 2023 104 schools were contacted.
The situation in Cumberland:
We are aware of one school in Cumberland - Cockermouth School (an academy) - where a small amount of RAAC has been discovered.
The school will subsequently open a day later than planned (on Wednesday 6 September).
Cockermouth School is the only school in Cumberland on the current DfE list of 104 schools affected. On all the Cumberland Local Authority maintained school sites surveyed to date, no RAAC has been found that would pose a concern.
We are working with the DfE to provide support to the school where necessary.
The council and relevant schools will notify parents and carers if the situation changes in the coming weeks and months.