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RAAC: 17 London schools named on government concrete list

Google Exterior view of Bishop Douglass Catholic School in FinchleyGoogle
Bishop Douglass Catholic School in Finchley, north London, is among those on the Department for Education's list

An official list published by the Department for Education (DfE) has revealed 17 London schools that have potentially unsafe concrete.

More than 100 schools in England have been told to close areas containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) unless they are made safe.

The BBC is aware of four other London schools with RAAC in their buildings.

The government said it would publish an updated list of further confirmed cases in the next two weeks.

Affected schools have been told they may have switch to online learning or teach pupils in nearby public buildings for the time being.

RAAC is a lighter, cheaper and less durable alternative to concrete that was used between the 1950s and 1990s.

It was used mostly in flat roofing, but also in floors and walls.

The Health and Safety Executive says the material is now beyond its lifespan and has the potential to "collapse with little or no notice".

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Which London schools are affected?

  • St Francis' Catholic Primary School, Newham
  • Myatt Garden Primary School, Lewisham
  • Seven Mills Primary School, Tower Hamlets
  • The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls, Ealing
  • St Ignatius College, Enfield
  • The London Oratory School, Fulham
  • Bishop Douglass School, Finchley
  • Welbourne Primary School, Haringey
  • St John Vianney RC Primary School, Haringey
  • Hornsey School for Girls, Haringey
  • Park View School, Haringey
  • The Coopers' Company and Coborn School, Upminster
  • The Palmer Catholic Academy, Ilford
  • Lambourne Primary School, Romford
  • Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School, Brixton
  • St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive, Eltham
  • St Gregory's Catholic Science College, Brent

The BBC is also aware of the following schools where RAAC has been found in their buildings:

  • Two further unidentified schools in the borough of Tower Hamlets
  • St Mary Magdalene and St Stephen's CE Primary School, Westminster
  • The Link Secondary School, Croydon
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Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School in Brixton, south London, has relocated some of its pupils to a nearby school after the concrete was found in the roof of part of the junior site.

According to the DfE, Hornsey School for Girls in Haringey has delayed the start of term to put mitigations in place.

It said The London Oratory School in Fulham and The Coopers' Company and Coborn School in Upminster had introduced remote learning for some pupils while they deal with the concrete.

St Gregory's Catholic Science College in Brent has switched to "fully remote learning", the DfE said.

Google An exterior view of St Gregory's Catholic Science College in Brent.Google
St Gregory's Catholic Science College has switched to remote learning

Other buildings in the capital have also been found to contain RAAC, including Harrow Crown Court, which closed last week, and the National Theatre.

The theatre said the building was Grade II* listed, made predominantly from traditional reinforced and post-tensioned concrete, but there was a "small number of select backstage areas where RAAC is present".

"Our structural engineers are in the process of surveying these areas, initial indications are that they are safe and do not currently require remedial works," it added.

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