Lea Hough Chartered Surveyors has been at the forefront of conducting RAAC surveys in schools in Lancashire and across the North West.
In this blog post, we will provide an update on our recent work in this area.
We first began to make our school clients aware of the potential issue of RAAC in 2022 and we wrote a blog post in March 2023 about the work we had been doing in schools to look for the presence of RAAC.
Schools were initially asked to report back to the DfE on the issue of RAAC, which led to us being instructed on a number of surveys. Following the closure of some schools in September 2023 due to safety concerns, we have been contacted by many more schools to conduct RAAC surveys.
Since our previous blog on this topic, the Department for Education (DFE) has released new and revised guidance on how to identify RAAC in school buildings. This guidance now stipulates that a RAAC Assessor must be a professional qualified as an MRICS Chartered Building Surveyor or Structural Engineer.
The DFE’s decision to require a RAAC Assessor with MRICS qualifications emphasises the importance of expertise and knowledge in accurately identifying RAAC in school buildings. This revised guidance aims to ensure that assessments are carried out by professionals who have a deep understanding of the material along with expertise in building pathology, structural engineering, and construction materials.
At Lea Hough, we not only have the required knowledge to undertake RAAC Surveys on behalf of schools and other education establishments, but we also have extensive experience of working within the education sector. This means we are ideally placed to plan and oversee any work that a school may require whilst keeping the impact on learning to an absolute minimum.
By engaging our services, schools can not only benefit from our expertise in finding RAAC, but can also access our wider knowledge in the area of education building works including maintenance or refurbishment projects. Our education team are able to identify projects that may be suitable for CIF funding.
Lea Hough Chartered Surveyors continues to lead the way in providing RAAC Surveys to schools in the region. With the release of the new guidance by the DFE, our team of MRICS Chartered Building Surveyors are well-equipped to undertake assessments in line with the latest requirements. By engaging our services, schools can ensure the safety and longevity of their premises while meeting regulatory standards.
Contact Lea Hough today for a free of charge discussion or to arrange a site visit.
