GOVERNMENT proposals to demolish and rebuild a school affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) have been submitted to council planners.

The Department for Education (DfE) is looking to demolish and rebuild Hadleigh High School, in Highlands Road, as part of the Government's School Rebuilding Programme.

Babergh District Council has now been presented with a formal planning application.

Bowmer + Kirland was appointed the main contractor to carry out the works, which were needed after the school was found to have been constructed with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

RAAC is a cheap building material, used between the 1950s and the 1990s, but susceptible to structural failure, posing a safety risk to pupils.

In 2023, when concerns over RAAC reached their peak, classrooms were temporarily installed on the high school's playing field and car park.

The new plans would provide new modern teaching facilities across two new buildings – one three-storey teaching block and one two-storey sports block.

How the new school might look

A new multi-use games area and car and cycle parking are also being proposed.

Aside from classrooms, the new teaching block would include offices, meeting rooms, a library, study spaces, art rooms, laboratories, central assembly halls and a dining hall.

Meanwhile, the sports block would include four courts at ground level, and an activity studio and fitness room on the upper floor.

A planning statement said the plans would result in the creation of an integrated and fully accessible school campus.

The school currently accommodates 870 pupils aged 11 to 16, but would have its capacity increased to 900 pupils.

A formal consultation is now open February 26, with a decision expected by May 7.