Dealing with this has been a nightmare

HEAD TELLS OF EFFECT OF CRUMBLING CONCRETE CRISIS

- EMMA GILL

THE headteacher of a school forced to stay closed amid the crumbling concrete crisis has spoken of the 'nightmare' ordeal.

St William of York Catholic Primary School, in Great Lever, Bolton, was supposed to reopen for the new school year on Monday.

But just days before they were notified that the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) at the site meant it would have to remain closed.

It was something headteacher Clare Lightbown was aware of, with mitigations in place at the school, but the urgent instructions from the Department of Education - for full or partial closures of affected schools was a surprise. Responding on social media about how schools are coping with the crisis, the head didn't hold back.

"Dealing with this on the chalk face in the last 24 hours has been a nightmare," she said. "We already had mitigation in place but suddenly, this was not enough. I feel like I have been hit by a brick. Not felt this way since the early days of the pandemic."