CRUMBLING concrete has been found in several areas of a Basingstoke primary school, it has been confirmed.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has been discovered in the school hall, caretaker’s office and adjacent store room at St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, in Pinkerton Road.

The Department for Education (DfE) has released an updated report listing 43 additional schools across England where RAAC has been identified. The total number of schools and colleges that have been partially or fully shut due to RAAC has increased from 104 to 217.

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The updated list dated Monday, October 16 includes St Anne’s Catholic Primary School in Basingstoke and Havant Academy in Leigh Park.

A letter sent out to parents on Friday, September 15 by headteacher Martine Sadie said: “Whilst we are waiting for the DFE’s written confirmation and allocation of a DfE caseworker, we will continue to follow the Government guidance and these areas (school hall, caretaker’s office and adjacent storeroom) will be closed and out of use. As a result, the kitchen will only be serving pack lunches until further notice.

“We would like to reassure you that we have carried out all necessary risk assessments to ensure that our school is still safe to open to all our pupils - the safety of children and staff is of paramount importance to all concerned.”

On Thursday, October 5, Ms Sadie along with Bill James, executive principal and chief financial officer of Mother Teresa Catholic Academy Trust which operates the school, met with the school’s RAAC project director to discuss the commissioning of temporary accommodation and intrusive surveys.

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Hampshire County Council and St Anne’s Catholic Primary School have been contacted for comments.

In Hampshire, earlier this year, Hounsdown School in Totton, Cranbourne in Basingstoke, and Farnborough College of Technology were found to have RAAC in their structures.

As a result, parts of the Cranbourne were closed due to temporary works being undertaken to one section of the building to ensure safety use, and other areas have been taken out of service since the beginning of the year. Hampshire County Council indicated that the secondary school reopened for the new academic year as normal.