The council have now confirmed that no schools that they run in Southwark have the dangerous concrete prone to collapse, which is halting the start date of some in the UK.
Parents across the UK were worried after news broke of the need to remove concrete that ‘could suddenly collapse’ from school buildings.
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is a lightweight building material used from the 1950s up to the mid-1990s but is now assessed to be at risk of collapse.
Despite mounting pressure, the Government has refused to publicly reveal the 104 facilities that have been told to shut buildings and from the lists that media outlets have compiled three schools in South London have been affected.
Following questioning by the News to the council, they have now confirmed that no council-run schools in Southwark have been affected. The council runs most of the primary schools and other further educational and nursery facilities, but independently-run schools like academies are not managed by them. If any of these school are at risk, it will be made clear by the much-anticipated list from the Department of Education.
Cllr Jasmine Ali, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Refugees, said: “I know how alarming the current national news about the safety of school buildings has been for parents and teachers across the country, and I want to reassure Southwark families that we have carried out comprehensive checks of our schools.
“I am very pleased to confirm that no reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete has been found in any of the 45 nurseries, schools and other educational establishments that Southwark Council maintains.”
She continued: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team and our schools for being proactive and working hard to make sure our schools are safe for our children and young people, teachers and school staff.”
More than 150 schools in England and Wales have been told to fully or partly close because they are fitted with RAAC. As a result, some schools have been forced to delay the start date of term.
On Thursday, the Department for Education said it had contacted a further 104 schools after 52 of the 156 educational settings containing the concrete took protective steps so far this year.
As one of the schools in South London to have been found with RAAC concrete, Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School in Brixton made plans last month to move 200 junior pupils into an alternative site – ready for starting back this week (Monday, September 4).
The school issued a statement saying it would be necessary to relocate the pupils to allow the structural work to be undertaken on their junior site over the next few months without disrupting children’s learning.
Temporarily, they have been moved from the Trent Road site to two ‘self-contained blocks’ at St Martin in the Field Girls School, in Tulse Hill.
A spokesperson from the school added: “The school’s priorities will always be to maintain the safety of the children and staff and to maintain the continued education of the children.”
The Link School in Beddington, Croydon, is listed as temporarily closed but the school is said to reopen next Monday.
In Eltham St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive is reported as open but parts of the hall, gym, canteen, drama studio, alps and girls’ and boys’ toilets are closed. The BBC said that the school need to open mobile toilet blocks.
According to the BBC, a full list of the schools affected is set to be released by ministers ‘this week.’