A primary school in Ewell has been confirmed to contain dangerous concrete that poses the risk of collapse.

Danetree Primary School is one of 147 education settings in England that have been found to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), a lightweight building material that was popular between the 1950s and 1990s but is now considered at risk of collapsing.

The Department for Education's newly published list unveiled all of the known education settings in England where necessary measures had to be implemented to deal with the collapse-prone concrete.

The Government document states that all pupils at the Danetree Primary School continue to be in face-to-face education either on site or nearby.

A GLF Schools spokesperson said: "Over the summer the Year 3 block was identified containing RAAC. On Thursday 31 August the Department for Education instructed the Trust to close this building immediately.

"The school then put a plan in place to relocate the Year 3 classes elsewhere within the school, so that the school opened as planned on Tuesday. Parents were advised of this.

"Further surveys have been arranged to clarify longer term plans for the school and we will provide updates to parents as more information is known."

In response to the concrete crisis, 19 schools in England had to delay the start of term, while another 24 schools incorporated remote learning and four schools switched entirely to remote learning.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan expressed regret over the situation, acknowledging that it was not an ideal way for parents, teachers, and affected children to start the new term.

She assured the public that pupil and staff safety is of utmost importance and praised the efforts of schools, colleges, councils, diocese, and academy trusts in ensuring that the majority of settings affected by Raac were able to open to all pupils at the start of term.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “I know this is the last way parents, teachers and children affected by this wanted to begin the new term, but it will always be my priority to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.

“Thanks to the hard work of schools, colleges, councils, diocese and academy trusts, the majority of settings where Raac has been confirmed have opened to all pupils for the start of term.

“We will continue to support all impacted settings in whatever way we can, whether that’s through our team of dedicated caseworkers or through capital funding to put mitigations in place.

“We are also expediting surveys and urging all responsible bodies to tell us what they know about Raac, so we can be confident that settings are safe and supported.”