CONCERNS have been raised around the closure of a special school in Southend due to the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.

Kingsdown School, run by SEN Trust Southend, was ordered to close by the Department of Education yesterday with “immediate effect”.

This was due to concerns about crumbling concrete – RAAC.

Following the order, it also means the school is unable to access the vital equipment they need to run the school safely and effectively and therefore will be unable to open for the new academic year.

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Kingsdown School, is a special school that looks after around 123 children between three and 14.

Anna Firth, MP for Southend West, has said she is deeply concerned by this closure and says they “must be given priority for urgent work” due to looking after some of the most vulnerable students in Essex.

She said: “I am deeply concerned about the closure of Kingsdown School. This is an incredible school that does so much to look after some of the most vulnerable students in Essex, and I know that this will be causing huge worry to all the students, parents, and teachers.

“Of course, the last thing anyone wants is for a tragedy to occur and for that reason, the DfE have been clear that there is absolutely no choice but to close the school.

“I have already spoken to the Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, to emphasise what a special case Kingsdown School is, and that it must be given priority for the urgent work that is required. I will be continuing to work closely with relevant parties to ensure that Kingsdown can reopen as soon as possible.”

RAAC is a lightweight concrete, but is unlike traditional concrete, as the way it is made, means it is much weaker. It is widely used as a building material from the 1950s to the mid-1990s.

Before the summer, advice given to schools was to monitor the situation and act on the surveys the schools had completed.

However, government policy has since changed and all schools with confirmed RAAC are to vacate these spaces with immediate effect.

Lydia Hyde, Labour councillor responsible for the St Laurence ward, added: “It is clear that the building will need serious structural investment, if not a rebuild, as these vulnerable children cannot be put at risk.

“However, these children rely on specialist equipment at the school to enable them to participate in education, and so they cannot be easily transferred elsewhere.

“The disruption for these children cannot be underestimated. Any change in routine can be deeply upsetting, and the children have been preparing for starting the school year with dedicated support and planning. The impact and stress to the families will also be substantial.

“As the ward Councillors for Kingsdown School, councillor Daniel Cowan and I are already engaging with officers and will be pressing for a speedy, but safe, resolution to this terrible situation. Our first priority is to get these children back into education as soon as possible, but we will be closely scrutinising the remedial building works following this.”