A BUILDING has closed at a Stroud secondary as a precaution after unsafe concrete was found. 

Just days before the new academic year, more than 100 educational settings in England were told by the government to fully or partially close because their buildings contain the collapse-prone concrete.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) – which is a lightweight building material used from the 1950s up to the mid-1990s – is now assessed to be at risk of collapse.

A building at Marling School has closed as a precaution after the material was found in one area of the school. 

In a statement to the BBC headteacher Glen Balmer said: "Given the change to DfE guidance, the affected area, including two DT rooms, will be closed at the start of term to ensure everyone's safety while remedial work is planned and implemented.

"During this period, we will be working to ensure the full DT curriculum is effectively delivered.

"As the rest of the site has been confirmed Raac free, the school will otherwise function as normal."

The government has been aware of public sector buildings that contain Raac since 1994 and it began monitoring their condition in 2018.

On August 31 the Government announced that there were 156 educational settings in England which contained the aerated concrete that is prone to collapse.

In total, 104 settings – which did not have mitigations in place – were told to vacate buildings containing Raac.

The government said recent cases had changed their assessment of the risk that Raac poses to safety.

More to follow.