Tunbridge Wells school can reopen after concrete scare, says governor

A school which was forced to partially close due to fears over dangerous concrete will be allowed to reopen, a governor has said.

The government said all schools with RAAC without safety measures in place would have to close or partially close.

St James' Primary in Tunbridge Wells said safety work carried out over the summer had now been confirmed as sufficient for the school to reopen.

The BBC has contacted Kent County Council (KCC) for confirmation.

Speaking to BBC Radio Kent, chair of governors for St James' Primary Stephen Pollard said: "We have just received a further letter from the Department for Education this morning confirming that they now understand that the work that was undertaken over the summer does meet the criteria for re-opening the school.

"We've been told we can reopen tomorrow and all we're waiting for is that confirmation in writing from KCC."

Earlier KCC said the Department for Education (DfE) had written to some affected schools advising them to vacate RAAC-affected buildings immediately "even in cases where the confirmed RAAC would have previously been deemed 'non-critical', unless appropriate mitigations are in place".

It added that it was "disappointed" some schools had been told to vacate affected buildings but that it was working to ensure there were "appropriate mitigations" in place.

St James' Primary had previously described the government guidance for RAAC affected schools as "unclear".

In an email to parents on Monday evening, the school said it had been partially closed during the summer term while areas where RAAC was present had been strengthened, "as a precautionary measure".

The email said the work had been in "full compliance with the Institute of Structural Engineers' technical guidance".

It went on: "The letter from the DfE is ambiguous in several places and it is unclear whether the DfE consider the Institute of Structural Engineers' guidance to represent appropriate mitigation.

"The DfE's updated guidance does not offer definition or specification for 'appropriate mitigation'."

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