Students at St Leonard's Catholic School have returned to a brand-new permanent campus delivered by BAM after almost three years away, following the successful completion of one of the UK's most significant Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) school rebuilds.

In 2023, the school was forced to close after surveys identified it as one of the worst RAAC-affected schools in the country. More than 100 schools across England have been impacted by the discovery of RAAC, a lightweight construction material widely used between the 1950s and 1990s that is now known to deteriorate over time, posing a potential structural risk if left unaddressed.

For the 1,400 pupils and staff at St Leonard's, the closure meant an urgent need for safe, high-quality learning environments while a permanent solution was delivered.

Christian went to say, "You’ve done a brilliant job of managing and getting the best out of your team, and that leadership really shows in the final product. Your site management team did an outstanding job of driving the supply chain to deliver their absolute best, and the finish— from the joinery to the decorating was flawless. It was a rare pleasure to be involved in a genuine zero-defect build.”

Keeping Education on Track

BAM was appointed in 2024 to demolish the RAAC-affected buildings and deliver a new state-of-the-art school.

Recognising the impact prolonged disruption could have on students, one of the team's first priorities was ensuring education could continue with as little interruption as possible.

Ahead of the 2024 academic year, BAM delivered a fully functioning temporary school campus on a single site, providing modern classrooms for every subject alongside specialist facilities for vocational learning.

The temporary campus enabled students and staff to continue learning together throughout construction. During this period, St Leonard's achieved an

Outstanding Ofsted rating in October 2024, followed by Outstanding A-level results in 2025, demonstrating the resilience of the school community and the importance of providing high-quality learning environments throughout the rebuild.

Delivering Excellence

The permanent school was completed in 2026 following the demolition of the existing RAAC-affected buildings and construction of a modern, future-ready campus.

Despite the complexity of delivering one of the first and largest RAAC school demolition and rebuild programmes in the UK, the project was handed over with zero defects, an exceptional achievement for a project of this size and complexity.

The result reflects BAM’s dedication from the project team, to design and construction through to commissioning and quality assurance, ensuring students and staff returned to a school built to the very highest standards.