A SCHOOL hit by the concrete crisis has broken ground on plans for new temporary classrooms as it attempts to “build a school in six weeks”.
Honywood School, in Westfield Drive, Coggeshall, was one of more than 100 schools across the country where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was found in its buildings.
The school, which was one of the worst affected by the concrete crisis in the county, was forced to shut 22 of its classrooms which were deemed unusable.
Headteacher James Saunders said the school’s priority was to “mitigate risk and minimise disruption to learners and staff”.
The school’s planned opening was heavily affected, with students using iPads and video conferencing for remote learning.
Following the news, the school began work on what Mr Saunders described as “Space Village”, installing temporary buildings with 21 modular classrooms.
The work began this week.
Mr Saunders said: "We have seen much progress with Space Village.
“Starting Monday, the site was rapidly prepared to begin construction.
“On Wednesday, the day began with four big trucks delivering the materials of the modular buildings.
“By the end of the day, the floorplan for the first building was in place.”
The school has also been running a competition to design the logo for Space Village and will be displaying all entries at its open evening on October 5 and asking attendees to vote on their favourite.
Mr Saunders added: “I have also begun my series of moonshot thinking assemblies this week.
“These assemblies have involved showing learners the inspiration for Space Village.
“I began by referencing the conclusion of the Nasa Osiris-Rex mission and shared the incredible timeline of the mission seven years in the making.
“I also talked through the last three weeks and the lessons we can all learn from being determined to do something.
“I said the worst thing someone can ever tell me is “no, you won’t be able to do that”.
“All that does is make me more determined to prove them wrong.
“The construction of Space Village will continue over the weekend, and I am expecting to see the complete outer shell on Monday morning.
“We still remain on target to make the impossible possible - building a school in six weeks.”
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