SOLUTION

According to a new report, 700,000 children in England are being taught in unsafe or ageing school buildings that need major repairs. Here, Oscar Jenkins, Education Specialist at Algeco, looks at how a combination of offsite construction and temporary classrooms for hire could provide the fastest, most cost-effective route to ensuring pupils’ safety.

A new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) states that, since 2021, the Department for Education (DfE) has assessed the risk of injury or death from a school building collapse as “very likely and critical”.

Significant safety risks are being posed by sewage leaks and asbestos. However, the risk of collapse is greatest in school buildings that still contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

This lightweight form of concrete is prone to collapse and was used widely from the 1950s to the mid 1990s. The DfE has, so far, identified 572 schools where RAAC might be present.

Clearly, this urgent issue needs to be tackled before it’s too late. Yet schools are under unprecedented pressure to deliver results amid sweeping budget cuts and, for many, expensive repairs simply aren’t an option.

Seismic approach

We believe that the solution lies in recent advances in offsite construction. Our platform-based Seismic approach uses standardised components that are digitally designed for use across multiple types of built asset, minimising the need for bespoke components.

As part of the consortium of partners that developed Seismic, we are strong proponents of standardised, offsite construction – and for good reason. Using Seismic, we can reduce construction costs by 33%, complete projects 50% faster and reduce emissions by 50%, all with zero compromise on build quality or safety. Importantly, the approach also meets the Government’s construction 2025 targets.

Seismic is currently being utilised in a major school construction project, the £19.2m Laurance Calvert Academy in Leeds, which is achieving all of the above targets and is on schedule for completion this month.

As a permanent replacement for existing RAAC structures, this approach can deliver transformational outcomes for schools searching for the way forward.

Minimal disruption

Any major school construction project raises questions about where to house pupils and staff during the build. Hiring temporary modular classrooms is a quick and easy way to provide highquality learning environments, either to accommodate increased pupil numbers, or to act as decant facilities during the construction process.

By choosing to hire, schools benefit from a learning environment that’s there for as long as they need it, without using Capex budgets. When the school has finished with the classrooms, they’re simply taken away.

A whole range of configurations are available, offering light and airy classrooms, with modules stackable up to four storeys high. Flexible, highlyeffective teaching spaces can be created to schools’ exact requirements, and all classrooms are fully compliant with Building Regulations and DfE specifications.

Our modular classrooms provide continuity to the teaching calendar while either remediation or replacement of RAAC structures take place, minimising disruption to the school.

The risks posed to pupils by outdated and dangerous school buildings need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Offsite construction, when combined with temporary decant facilities, offers a complete, cost-effective solution that can be delivered 50% faster than a traditional school build.