Nearly £400k spent making Haringey schools with crumbling concrete safe

Three schools owned by the council – Hornsey School for Girls, Welbourne Primary School and Park View School – are known to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which has sparked a national safety alert.

The material, a lightweight form of concrete used in construction for several decades up until the mid-1990s, could be at risk of collapse at the end of its 30-year lifespan.

At the end of August, the government told more than 100 schools across the country to close areas or buildings containing Raac until safety measures had been put in place.

Haringey Council said it had taken a proactive approach to Raac and was already tackling the issue before the announcement, having carried out borough-wide surveys in February to identify concerns.

In response to a Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council revealed the total cost of building safety works to remediate Raac issues in schools has been £376,571 to date.

The figure relates to works directly affecting areas of the schools that contain Raac and does not include associated costs such as providing alternative accommodation and bringing affected areas back into use.

In July, the council signed a contract worth up to £715,000 for Raac remediation at Hornsey School for Girls after the material was found in roofs, science laboratories and the performing arts block.

An inspection found that some of the concrete panels had “deteriorated to an extent that remedial action is required within three to six months”. Some classes have been relocated to other parts of the school buildings while the safety works take place.

The council said the spending is not expected to impact on other building projects or services, adding that the Department for Education (DfE) had indicated it would meet capital costs that are directly related to the mitigation of Raac.

In September, chancellor Jeremy Hunt vowed to “spend what it takes” to tackle the concrete safety crisis.

A spokesperson for DfE said: “All schools where Raac is confirmed will be provided with funding for all mitigation works that are capital funded, such as propping and temporary accommodation.

“Where schools, colleges and maintained nursery schools need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to other locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, we are actively engaging with every school affected to put appropriate support in place. We expect all reasonable requests will be approved.”