Haringey Council's Cabinet Member for Children, Schools & Families, Cllr Zena Brabazon, has issued the following statement to address safety concerns from central government regarding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in schools nationwide and the proactive work that has been done in the borough to rectify this issue:
We are extremely disappointed and frustrated with the timing of the government’s announcement, just three days before the start of the 2023-24 academic year.
However, here in Haringey, we have been very proactive and actively involved in tackling the issue head-on for some months.
The safety of our students has been – and will always be – our number one priority and that is why we carried out borough-wide surveys to identify any concerns back in February.
We have been working closely with the senior leadership teams of our affected schools since that time to minimise any prospective disruption to their teaching and learning on-site.
We are ahead of the curve in relation to this matter and have already put funding in place for the works to be carried out. We also have temporary and revised accommodation ready for the start of the new term.
I’m pleased to report that none of our affected schools will be closing as a result of the government’s announcement yesterday and they can rely on our continued support as we look to rectify this issue swiftly and successfully in the future.
