Concrete Cancer: School’s Students Facing Severe Disruption

• Temporary classrooms have been set up after safety concerns were raised in the Spring
• Concerns have been raised about the disruption being caused

Concerns have been raised about the pupils at St John’s Catholic Primary School in Rickmansworth attending lessons in temporary classrooms after the roof of the main building was found to have Concrete Cancer in May last year.

It was discovered that the roof of St John’s was built using concrete which is now known to deteriorate quickly. According to totalconcrete.co.uk, Concrete Cancer is caused when the metal reinforcements within concrete swell, causing cracks and ultimately the structure’s collapse.  

This prompted the emergency evacuation of the school grounds and forced students into other schools whilst a temporary structure was built in the school field.

Parents are being kept up-to-date with regular newsletters, but concerns have been raised about the disruption this will cause to the education of the students who attend.

When interviewed, the parents of a student who used to attend St John’s stated that they were so concerned about the additional stress on their child that they moved them to a different school.

In an interview with the Watford Observer, Stephen Wheatley, CEO of All Saints Catholic Academy Trust which runs St John’s, said, “Safety of our pupils and staff is paramount so we acted quickly to vacate the parts of the building that pose significant risk.

“We [will] continue to work with the Department for Education, the Diocese of Westminster and Hertfordshire County Council to identify a more permanent solution for St John’s school building moving forward.”

Government School Rebuilding Programme

The school has been accepted into the Government’s rebuilding programme, which aims to deliver 500 rebuilding projects to schools over the next decade.

South West Hertfordshire MP Gagan Mohindra welcomed the news, stating, “A routine survey at St John’s revealed structural issues with the building, meaning the school was forced to hold some lessons off-site and build a temporary structure for classrooms.

“I was deeply concerned about the disruption this was causing to students and their learning. I visited the school and in May I met with Baroness Barran, minister for the school system, to discuss their application for funding.

“I’m glad that I have been able to play a role in this success and am pleased that the school will finally have access to the money they need to rebuild a permanent structure.”

There is no public timeline for the works to take place, but to avoid further disruption to the students, parents hope that demolition will happen during the summer break.