School Rebuild

Why is St John's being rebuilt?

A planned conditions survey of the school conducted on behalf of the Trust in February  2022 revealed a significant risk of building failure as a result of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) - a material used throughout the building for ceilings/ floors. This material is considered to no longer be safe for use due to concerns about its structural integrity over time and is therefore no longer used in the construction trade. The DfE have identified it as a material of particular concern in schools following roof failures/ collapses in a number of schools. Since the discovery of this material at St John’s this has become a well-publicised matter of national concern, resulting in the DfE initiating a nationwide survey of its entire school estate to assess the size of the problem facing schools.

Following the discovery of RAAC at the School students and staff were moved into a temporary modular school building on the school site. We are proud of our work with our Trust, the DfE, the Diocese of Westminster and the Trust, which enabled this temporary building to be ready for occupation only four months after RAAC was first discovered. 

Moving forward......

ASCAT has successfully applied for the school to be included in the DfE’s School Rebuilding Programme and in the Summer term of 2023 the School announced that Tilbury Douglas, had been contracted by the DfE to prepare designs for a new school building to be erected on the school site.

In July 2023 pre-planning designs for the new school building were agreed and consulted on with Staff, Parents and the local community.