HARLOWBURY Headteacher, Vicky Early, was present when an independent Structural Engineer visited the school to carry out further investigative tests on Tuesday 5 September, the date the school should have opened for pupils.

Ms Early said, “I am pleased to inform you that the Structural Engineer has declared that the remedial works that were already in place are sufficient and safe to allow the buildings to be used.  This is  a great relief to us as we know how many of our children are looking forward to meeting their new teacher and sitting in their new classrooms.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Angus Drummond of RAAC Consulting and Solutions for his patience and level of expertise which helped allay any concerns we had.”

The Department for Education at 12pm on 31^st August 2023 informed Harlowbury Primary School that it may need to close with immediate effect pending a government briefing at 9.00am on 1^st September 2023 due to the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in some of the school buildings.  

On Friday 1 September at 12pm the School and Trust were advised in a meeting that the  DfE policy on RAAC had been revised and DfE were no longer able to verify the structural safety of the school buildings without external validation from a structural engineer.

The school was due to move to a new site in Gilden Park in 2021 but work has been pushed back to September 2025.  RAAC will not be used in the new building.