One of the top universities in the country has moved to reassure A-level students that RAAC-related issues will be considered when decisions over applications for degree courses are made for the next academic year.

Durham University has also outlined the support it is giving to a North East secondary school that will have to be rebuilt because of the unsafe concrete crisis.

St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham has been unable to function effectively as most lessons have been taught online since the start of term.

While school leaders are trying to resume face-to-face lessons, parents have been dismayed to learn GCSE and A-level exams will be marked as usual and centre-assessed grades will not be accepted.

Read next: Exam help 'not an option' for Durham school hit by RAAC

The Northern Echo: St Leonard's School in Durham St Leonard's School in Durham (Image: Northern Echo)

Now Durham University has said RAAC-related issues with teaching will be taken into account when UCAS forms are received.

A spokesperson said: “We recognise that the education of some sixth formers throughout the UK will be adversely affected by RAAC disruption.

“Universities always take adverse circumstances into consideration when making admissions decisions.

“We welcome the highlighting of the need for schools and colleges to draw these circumstances to the attention of universities as they consider applicants for undergraduate places.”

The university is also allowing some of the buildings it rents at Ushaw to be used by the school to help get pupils back into the classroom.

The spokesperson added: “Our Estates and Facilities Directorate has been working hard with St Leonard’s Catholic School and the Department for Education to offer part of our facilities at Ushaw to the school on a temporary basis, free of charge.

“St Leonard’s has occupied those facilities since Monday, October 9.”

It is understood the university buildings at Ushaw, a former Catholic seminary college, can accommodate a whole year group of around 240 children.

Other parts of the college will also be made available and there are also plans for temporary classrooms in the car park at County Hall opposite St Leonard’s.

Read next: Parents stage Raac demonstration at St Leonard's school, Durham

 

The Northern Echo: Mary Kelly Foy MP speaks to parents at the school Mary Kelly Foy MP speaks to parents at the school (Image: Contributor)

Durham City MP Mary Kelly Foy wrote to university vice-chancellor Karen O'Brien after the Department for Education and Ofqual said centre-assessed grades would not be accepted because of the RAAC crisis.

In her letter, she said the dreams of young people who want to attain higher education qualifications and pursue careers were ‘in tatters due to a complete lack of empathy and understanding’.

She said: “St Leonard's has been one of the schools worst affected by the RAAC crisis and the significance of the impact it has had on pupils, both educationally and regarding their mental well-being cannot be overstated.

“The pupils of St Leonard's school do not deserve to have their futures torn from beneath them due to the Government's neglect of the school estate in recent years.”

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Ms Kelly Foy also wrote to Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, which provides a collective voice to 142 universities across the country.

She said: “It seems obvious to me that missing what will eventually amount to nearly a full term at school is nothing approaching a level playing field, and I am therefore imploring you to work with your member universities to recognise the significant impact that the RAAC crisis has had, not only on St Leonard's pupils, but pupils in other RAAC affected schools around the country, and offer assurances that these extraordinary circumstances, which are completely out of their control, will be taken into consideration when university places are offered to young people for the 2024/25 academic year.”

Ofqual, the body which regulates exams in the UK, said schools should get in touch with their exam boards to discuss any further arrangements they may need.

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The Department for Education said qualifications should represent what students know, rather than what they might have known had circumstances been different.

Head boy James Smith, who is hoping to study physiotherapy at university, said A-level students were still struggling to get access to science labs.

He said: “There has been disruption from day one and there is no firm plan on how this lost learning can be made up.”