Today (Thursday 5 September) Pewley Down Church of England Infant School has welcomed back children and staff to the newly refurbished school buildings after it was forced to close for 11 months due to structural safety concerns.
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was found in the ceiling of the school building during a safety inspection in October 2023. The school was closed the next day, and the children and staff relocated to the nearby Holy Trinity School, Addison Road, where temporary classrooms were built on the playground.
A national review of all school buildings, led by the previous Government in 2023, revealed that over 200 schools and colleges were impacted by RAAC, with a number of schools reporting sudden roof collapses. As a result of the crisis, schools across the UK were closed and many pupils temporarily returned to home learning.
Speaking of the reopening, Vicky Ellis, newly appointed headteacher of the school said:
“Seeing the children back on the Pewley Down site after the RAAC removal has been a joyful day. The children's safety and continuity of high-quality education has been the priority, and we are delighted to welcome them back to an environment that is safe but ready for learning, growth and fun. This return marks a fresh start, and we look forward to seeing our school community continue to thrive.”
The Department for Education and the Diocese, which is responsible for 83 church schools and academies, have worked with the school to put in place a new steel structure to make the classrooms safe. At the same time, other improvements were made to the school, including upgrading lighting and fire systems.
Canon Alex Tear, Diocesan Director of Education stated:
“We are very pleased that we have been able to re-open the school in time for the new academic year so that the children and staff can return to the school and a much-improved learning environment. This has been a complex project which required a significant amount of technical expertise and we are grateful to our project consultants and contractors who have worked throughout the summer to make sure that the school would be ready for opening.
“We know that this has been a challenging time for the school community. We are grateful to the staff, parents and children for their patience and support while the work was completed”
The Department for Education has confirmed that the school has been identified for re-building under the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP). The SRP rebuilding project is likely to be a 2-3 year project, with the infant children and staff continuing to be based at the Pewley site while the design phase is undertaken.