Hornchurch & Upminster MP, Julia Lopez, met Education Minister, Baroness Barran, this week after the unexpected closure of the Coopers’ Company & Coborn School for urgent works.
Baroness Barran leads the government’s School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) which has recently been accelerated to improve the condition of school and sixth-form college buildings across England.
As part of the programme, the Department for Education has been identifying schools which contain Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). RAAC panels, used in floors, walls and roofs of some buildings made between the 1950 and 1995, have proved weaker than traditional concrete, raising safety concerns.
Following detailed structural surveys of Coopers’ Coborn, it was recommended that a number of areas within the school estate be closed urgently to reinforce affected structures. After being notified of survey outcomes on 21 February, the school swiftly moved to remote learning for Key Stage 3 pupils on 23 and 24 February, with all pupils anticipated to return to school on Monday 27 February.
Ahead of the meeting with Baroness Barran, Mrs Lopez’s team spoke to Headteacher, Sue Hay, to make sure that the school has been receiving the support it needs from the Department. The Minister set out that reinforcement works are due to be completed by the end of April. An assessment will then be carried out to see if temporary buildings are needed and, ultimately, if a set of new classrooms should be constructed.
Mrs Lopez sought and received assurances that the school would be fully involved in the decisions on the design of any new buildings, that the immediate and longer-term building works would not place pressure on the school’s budget, and that disruption to pupils, especially around exam times, would be minimised. She also asked about the standards to which any new buildings would be constructed, such that they could reduce running costs like energy bills.
Speaking after the meeting, Mrs Lopez said: 'I am very grateful for the robust and proactive approach that the Department for Education has taken in responding to this issue and for their close liaison with the Coopers' Company and Coborn School. I have reached out directly to the Headteacher, Ms Hay, to offer her my full support if the school requires any assistance in either the urgent remedial works or in discussions regarding the long-term future of the site. I appreciate that the works that began this week will have been very disruptive to students and their families, and I am grateful to teachers for reacting swiftly to get in place alternative accommodation. I hope, if new buildings are required, that this can present an opportunity to the school for modern classrooms and improved facilities as part of the government’s accelerated School Rebuilding Programme.'
