Moray Council issue update on SQA exams for RAAC-hit Forres Academy pupils

Exams for pupils at Forres Academy may have to be held in a community centre as repair works continue following the discovery of ‘crumbling concrete’ last year.

The potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was found in the building in July 2023.

The majority of prelim exams are taking place at Forres House community centre and in an update to parents and guardians, Moray Council said that discussions are ongoing as to whether this will also be the case for exams in May.

More information regarding this will be issued soon, the council added.

Classrooms, including those used for science, drama, and technical subjects, had been closed in September on the advice of structural engineers and work has now been completed on them.

Home economics is the only practical class still being taught off-site but it is anticipated that work on the new classroom should be completed by the end of April 2024.

Moray Council said two phases of a repair programme had been completed, and a third was progressing in line with projected timescales.

Chair of Moray Council’s education, communities and leisure services committee, Councillor Kathleen Robertson, said: “I would like to thank every single person who is working within the school to help get it back and operating as closely to original levels.

“The progress made to recover so much of the schools teaching space and minimise disruption is fantastic. The entire staff and pupil’s response during this unsettling period is nothing short of outstanding and I commend everyone at Forres Academy for their continued resilience.”