Wakefield school to be largely demolished over unsafe concrete

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 17:02 · Archive

St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School in Wakefield is to be largely demolished and rebuilt after being found to contain Raac, potentially unsafe concrete.

St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School in Sandal, Wakefield, is among 234 schools in England found to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac). The material can deteriorate over time and pose structural risks. The school was temporarily closed in October 2023 following the discovery, and temporary classrooms were installed to minimise disruption.

Proposals are now being drawn up for a major redevelopment to demolish the majority of buildings and replace them with safe, modern and sustainable facilities. The redevelopment has been identified as a priority within the government's school rebuilding programme because of safety issues affecting day-to-day operations. A request for a screening opinion has been submitted to Wakefield Council to establish whether an environmental impact assessment will be required before a formal planning application can proceed.

The new scheme would include a three-storey building, new parking and access, a sports area, landscaping and a special educational needs and disabilities garden. A two-storey building housing a sports hall would be retained and refurbished. When completed, the facility would provide 7,334 square metres of floor space within the 5.6-hectare site.

Wakefield school to be largely demolished over unsafe concrete — Image: Yorkshire Evening Post

Comments (0)

How it is being reported

Major shake-up planned for school after RAAC safety concernsRaac-affected school set to for major redevelopmentYorkshire Evening Post · 19 Oct, 16:30
Raac-affected school set for major redevelopmentPlans propose demolishing the majority of St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School.BBC Leeds And West Yorkshire · 19 Oct, 12:38

In this story: St Thomas à Becket Catholic Secondary School · Wakefield · Wakefield Council

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem