A FAMILY-RUN business has proudly teamed up with a Canvey school to help get children back on site after the discovery of potentially dangerous crumbling concrete.
Winter Gardens Academy, in Hilton Road, was forced to partially close from September 5 due to Raac and some children were sent to nearby schools.
However, with the help of Leigh’s Maria Hadden and her team at Upminster Containers, new temporary classrooms have been fitted at the school and Year 2 children are currently using them.
The pupils had moved to the Corenlius Vermuyden School, also on Canvey, as a temporary fix.
More than 50 schools across Essex were found to have Raac in their buildings, making it the most impacted county across the country.
Ms Hadden, director of the firm, said: “We are so proud to have been able to help Winter Gardens Academy get some of their pupils back on site.
“They have been one of the most proactive schools in the region that have dealt with the Raac crisis.
“The school approached us shortly after they had to partially close; we then got straight to work on getting everything together for the three flat-pack units that went on to be linked together to make one big classroom.
“On Thursday, September 14, the units were delivered; the following day, the school began kitting it out with tables, chairs, and a whiteboard; and then on the Monday, the kids were in.
“The quick turnaround from the team at Winter Gardens Academy is truly remarkable and makes us feel so pleased that we played a part in that.”
The 20ft x 8ft rented space, which was deemed adequate by the Department for Education, can accommodate 30 children and three members of staff.
Under Upminster Containers’ terms and conditions, clients must pay eight-weeks-worth upfront first before any progress can be made.
However, the team let them off because the “most important thing was getting the kids in, so they do not miss out on their education”.
Initially, bosses at Winter Gardens Academy - which includes both an infants and junior school - were told the whole infants school part of the site would have to close due to the presence of Raac.
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