"DANGEROUS" cheap and light concrete was found in a Helensburgh school SIX YEARS before a national scandal erupted, the Advertiser can reveal.
Detailed inspection reports from John Logie Baird Primary discovered a 45cm section of concrete completely gone above the girls' washroom.
Structural engineers saw a slab had dropped 10cm and told council bosses that a repair was not even suitable.
They said in an email they were "somewhat shocked" by the state of roof slabs formed out of Siporex, a brand name for a type of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete).
August 2017 warnings were followed up by a detailed inspection of most of the school in April 2018 which included examining the roof over the school hall and stage, all made of Siporex.
The facilities have never been closed off to pupils.
Argyll and Bute Council confirmed JLB Primary was their only school with RAAC and that "mitigation" was in place. They said work would be carried out in the next 12 months.
But a whistleblower contacted the Advertiser after that report and passed on the original inspections and warnings from years earlier.
The alarm was raised at the school months before a national notice went out about RAAC in schools.
And it pre-dated a UK-wide "alert" from the Institute of Structural Engineers about the type of concrete used up to the 1980s.
But it was only at the end of August 2023 that a sudden closure of more than 100 schools in England over RAAC concerns prompted a national reckoning with the substance.
That has now been confirmed in 40 Scottish schools and 10 universities. The list continues to grow.
Detailed questions were put to Argyll and Bute Council but they didn't reply before the Advertiser went to press.
Our whistleblower saw the ceiling above the washrooms as late as 2022 and they were in the same state as the 2017 photo.
"Emergency propping" was added above the girls' washroom by April 2018.
The whistleblower told the Advertiser: "It was supposed to be in hand. I don't actually know if that has been repaired in the girls' toilets.
"Obviously they knew it's there in the main hall. They said they were not doing anything about it - there was no evidence of water damage on the tiles [below the concrete].
"The attitude was just to leave it.
"I can only presume they first knew about the RAAC in the girls' washroom because they would have had staining on the ceiling tiles.
"I'm not necessarily concerned about safety. The [washroom ceiling] was propped up. It's a huge span across the gym hall. I don't know what coniditon it's in and could be in perfectly good condition.
"My main concern is how lax Argyll and Bute Council has been."
The whistleblower said the council knew about problems in the school in 2017, and 2018, and then there were notices above concern for RAAC in late 2018 and from the Institute of Structural Engineers in 2019.
They said: "RAAC was a 30-year lifespan. They have known about it for so long and nothing has been done about it.
"They have known about this for a long time. At the time they didn't seem to be very concerned.
"I was shocked when I visited. By the time I got there, propping had been for at least two years, maybe three or even four.
"They have know about it for so long but there's a laissez faire attitude."
In an email dated August 4, 2017, an engineer from ATK Partnership told Argyll and Bute Council about what was found above the girls' washroom at the school.
The email states the inspector was "somewhat shocked to see the situation with the roof slabs".
It continies: ""The concerns I have are that they have now completely failed not just with simple spalling but the slab has now suffered from a total section loss of around 450mm along the length of the slab.
"The slab has also dropped by around 100mm and there must surely be a void between the surface of the slab and the insulation above. Where the slab has failed the reinforcement bars are totally exposed with no concrete around them.
"An inspection of the roof confirmed this movement as there is now rainwater ponding in several places."
The report recommended three options: to take off the roof, remove the existing construction, and add a new concrete slab formed in place; do the same but introduce steel beams and block roof slabs; or put in a new timber roof.
The email concluded: "We are concerned that the struction is now in a dangerous condition and whilst additional Acrow props are required, we would caution against allowing access to the roof prior to any work being instructed.
"It would be difficult if nigh impossible to jack up the defective slabs and introduce steel beems to the underside. This would probably cause more damage to adjacent areas and the roof finish.
"Due to the type of construction of the slab(s) we would suggest it might be produnt to carry out further investigations to determine if thre are any other areas affected in a similar fashion."
A 15-page follow-up report the next April, including more than a dozen photos looking at the ceilings throughout the school, It concluded: "From our recent inspections, the extent of the damaged/failed Siporex style roof panels appears to be contained to the Girls' WC. All other panels exposed during our inspection appear to be in a reasonable conditions.
"As reported previously, the roof slabs over the Girls' WC have now failed and in need of urgent repairs/remedial works.
"We noted emergency propping works during our recent inspection but we are still of the opinion that this area must not be used until such times as the damaged roof slabs are replaced."
By 2019, the Institute of Structural Engineers' standing committee on structural safety warned: "Pre-1980 RAAC planks are now past their expected service life and it is recommended that consideration is given to their replacement."
The Advertiser asked council officials what prompted the 2017 inspections and what action was taken after those findings, and after the 2018 report.
We also asked what work has been undertaken in 2021 and 2022, and what work is planned next. We also asked about any inspections of other schools since 2017.
A council spokesperson said: “We have a recognised whistleblowing policy where individuals can raise any concerns. To date we have no records of any whistleblowing coming forward.
"The council has been aware of the presence of RAAC in some areas of John Logie Baird Primary School since 2017.
"Working with specialist structural engineers and with national guidance, we carried out mitigation measures including installing additional structural props and cordoning off affected cubicles in the girls’ toilets.
"Since this time, we have visited the school multiple times to carry out monitoring and additional structural inspections.
"We continue to work with our structural engineers to ensure that mitigation actions are appropriate.
"In addition, we have introduced further measures including expanded exclusion zones for affected areas and a new portable toilet block is due to arrive shortly which will ease management of toilet provision.
"The intention is to repair or remove the RAAC within 12 months.”
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