RAAC-affected secondary school forced to use £10K fundraiser to cover costs ‘not met by government’

A secondary school that has been heavily impacted by the concrete crisis has launched a £10,000 fundraiser with parents to cover “additional costs” that it says won’t be met by the government. 

Honywood School, Coggeshall, Essex, has been one of the country’s worst affected schools due to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Just days before term started, the government announced that buildings with RAAC at 104 schools across the country were “prone to collapse” and couldn’t be used.

At Honywood, 22 classrooms have been closed following the Department for Education’s orders, as well as lots of additional facilities. Only Years 7 and 11 will be allowed to return for face-to-face teaching, while the rest of the pupils will have to go back to the kind of remote learning that was carried out during Covid.

Now a fundraiser has been launched through GoFundMe to provide the school with equipment for remote learning, with costs it says “won’t be covered” by the government. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt previously said that the government would “spend what it takes” to address the problem, and schools wouldn’t need to pay for RAAC repairs. A Department for Education spokesperson said schools can contact the government with additional requests, adding: "We expect all reasonable requests will be approved.”

The fundraiser, launched by parent Sarah Cooper, said: “With 22 classrooms and multiple administration offices and rooms condemned, Honywood has lost half of its space. Only three of the five cohorts are able to access the school at any given time. Students have had to return to remote learning. It is hoped that funding will come from the government but there are additional costs that will not be met that we are looking for help to support.” 

The fundraiser listed these as remote learning tools and off-site spaces, headsets for teachers, additional toilets and the movement and storage of displaced equipment. 

The fundraiser added: “Honywood School community appreciates each penny you can contribute to their goal of returning all children to the classroom as quickly as possible so that their learning is not further disrupted. All money raised will be allocated by Honywood.”

It ends by saying: “Thank you, Honywood community of parents, students, carers, teachers and school staff.”

Ms Cooper, 50, who has one child at Honywood, confirmed she had got the school’s permission for the fundraiser, and said it was mainly aimed at parents in the local area. She said: “It is not to fund the aspect of the next few months that the DfE will be responsible for within their budget. It’s just for those extra things, the things you wouldn’t normally think about as missing.”

She said school staff told her they needed official storage facilities, explaining: “We’re trying to find things like a storage container that can be put onto school grounds and locked away with a bunch of desktop computers.”

So far, the page has raised more than £1,800 of the £10,000 target. Honywood shared the GoFundMe on its Facebook page, conveying its gratitude for the “wonderful group of parents” who started the page: “The money raised will go directly into supporting online learning resources, storage solutions and supporting the logistics in getting all of our learners back in school.” 

The school had previously asked for help with marquees, to teach the pupils outside in the warm weather. Headteacher James Saunders told the BBC: “The children will suffer the most because I've had my shot at school, so have our parents, we're all disrupted, but our children, this is their time at school - we really need to minimise that disruption, because in a way, it echoes the same situation we had with Covid.

"I've seen the knock-on effect that has on mental health in the long term, so we have got to get this right now because otherwise we will be picking up issues with them in years to come."

And when speaking to GB News, Mr Saunders hit back at Education Secretary Gillian Keegan’s rant on ITV, in which she accused unnamed people of “sitting on their arse”, saying: “I don’t think I’m someone who has been sitting around doing nothing.” 

The government has been criticised for only announcing the closures days before the start of the school term started, despite being warned about RAAC for years.

Last week, NationalWorld revealed that the DfE's own risk level of school buildings collapsing was upgraded to "critical - very likely" two years ago. And unions and local government groups have consistently raised the problem of RAAC since 2018.

It also emerged that the Education Secretary Gillian Keegan was on holiday in Spain as the crisis unfolded, while the Schools Minister said the government’s response was “world leading”.

Keegan was already under pressure after being caught on microphone suggesting “everyone else has sat on their arse and done nothing” as she tackled the crisis. She was also heard asking why no one had said "you know what you've done a f*****g good job".

Honywood is not the only school to have a fundraising page, with Hockley Primary School following its lead. Also based in Essex, Hockley’s parent teacher association has similarly started a GoFundMe page with hopes it will ensure its “packed programme of fun events and activities continues for the kids".

“At the present time, the kids are split across three sites in the local area while temporary structures are put in place," the fundraiser said, "with staff working flat out to make everything as smooth as possible."

A DfE spokesperson said: "All schools where RAAC is confirmed will be provided with funding for all mitigation works that are capital funded, such as propping and temporary accommodation.

"Where schools, colleges and maintained nursery schools need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to other locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, we are actively engaging with every school affected to put appropriate support in place. We expect all reasonable requests will be approved.”