Dumfries and Galloway Council Updates Dedicated RAAC Webpage

Dumfries and Galloway Council has today (Tuesday 12 September) updated its dedicated reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) webpage after developments at three schools.

At Laurieknowe Primary School in Dumfries, RAAC panels have been identified within the building. These have been surveyed. Some panels were found to be cracked. The recommendation is that immediate work is undertaken to install further support to a small number of these panels over a small area within the school.

Due to the council being able to secure in-demand contractors ahead of schedule, work on identified RAAC panelling will now begin tomorrow (Wednesday 13 September), brought forward from the October break.

This work will take place during school hours; it will not impact the operation of the school.

At Carrutherstown Primary School, Nithsdale, due to the council being able to secure in-demand contractors, work will now take place next month during the two-week October break while the school is closed.

And in Gatehouse Primary School in Gatehouse of Fleet, the council’s structural engineers have now undertaken more inspections and confirmed that the school is safe for pupils and staff. The council awaits further detailed guidance from its structural engineers.

Four schools have now been identified as having RAAC panels in Dumfries and Galloway:

• Laurieknowe Primary School, Dumfries
• Carrutherstown Primary School, Nithsdale
• Dumfries Academy, Dumfries
• Gatehouse Primary School, Gatehouse of Fleet

No other schools operated by Dumfries and Galloway Council have RAAC and there are no plans to close any affected schools while work takes place.

The council is regularly updating parents, carers and staff at each affected school and all the council’s actions are guided by advice from its expert structural engineers.

In addition, survey work is being undertaken across the rest of the council estate to investigate and identify any further buildings that may have these panels fitted – to which the same structural engineering inspection and reporting regime will be applied.

Dumfries and Galloway Council Leader Cllr Gail Macgregor said: “Our council is taking a proactive approach to this developing situation. In all cases we are guided by the advice of our expert structural engineers as we work to tackle the incidence of RAAC panels in our schools as quickly as we can while minimising disruption to pupils, parents and staff.”

Depute Leader Cllr Malcolm Johnstone said: “The safety of the children and education colleagues who use our schools is our paramount concern and every decision our officers make, they do so through this lens.”

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