Companies accused of taking advantage of concrete crisis in schools and raising prices

Sarah Skinner urgently needs to find 26 classrooms for three different schools, with the start of term just days away.

It was last Thursday, 31 August, when Sarah, the chief executive of Penrose Learning Trust, received the unwelcome news that three of the eight schools managed by her trust in Suffolk were affected by faulty concrete and some of their buildings would have to close.

They had previously been deemed safe by the Department for Education after surveys were undertaken in 2019.

She said: “It’s devastating… the start of the school year should be everybody coming back celebrating the results in the summer, looking forward to the year ahead. And of course, now we’re scrambling around to find temporary accommodation.”

For East Bergholt High School, it’s one block which has been impacted, as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is in the ceiling.

It contains 12 classrooms, design and technology rooms and newly-fitted laboratories.

All of this will be out of bounds to students and will impact their learning of key modules.

Sarah has secured six temporary classrooms for 12 weeks, at the cost of £215,000, but she still needs to get hold of furniture for students and teachers.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has insisted the costs will be covered by the Department for Education.

But many companies are being accused of taking advantage of the situation and increasing their prices. Sarah was quoted £8,000 for six temporary toilets.

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There has been a growing row over who will pay to pick up the bill for RAAC repairs after the government announced last week that more than 100 schools in England would have to shut or partially close because of the risks associated with it.

In the case of East Bergholt High, removing the roof containing RAAC will reveal existing asbestos and there will be an additional cost in managing that potentially dangerous situation.

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For the foreseeable future, the school will have one year group studying from home, which they will rotate around the different age groups.

The disruption affects schools and parents alike.

Sarah Long is an English teacher and mother to a Year 9 pupil at East Bergholt High.

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She said: “As a parent, you don’t want to leave your child at home to learn, you know there’s a chance they can go online with their friends.

“As a teacher, we know this isn’t anyone’s fault at the school. We want the children in school, learning face to face.

“My son wants to be in school with his friends, they don’t want to be at home on their own. But sadly because of COVID he’s got used to online learning and so it doesn’t phase him as much anymore.”

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