A SENIOR civil servant has apologised to pupils and parents at a Rochford school where traces of asbestos were found during building work.

In November, the King Edmund School, in Rochford, was forced to close and pupils learnt at home before some were taught at the Cecil Jones Academy, in Southend, in January this year.

On Friday, during the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into the condition of school buildings nationally, the Department for Education’s permanent secretary, Susan Acland-Hood, apologised over the department’s handling on the situation.

Children returned to King Edmund in January but major concerns have been raised over the impact on their education.

Mrs Acland-Hood said: “I wanted to say on behalf of the Department that we were very sorry about what happened at King Edmund, it should not have happened the way it did.

“I did just want to say to parents and pupils at King Edmund, on behalf of the Department, that we are really sorry that happened in that school and we are learning lessons from it as well and working with our contractors.”

The asbestos was discovered when contractors, brought in by the Department for Education, were working on the construction of a new 30-classroom teaching block and discovered asbestos on the site.

The apology was made during a debate around school conditions, and the Department for Education is visiting schools across the country to identify the presence of the building material reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

The presence of the concrete led to the closure of Hockley Primary School temporarily in June, with children being moved to Plumberow Academy or Greensward Academy for the remainder of the year.

In the inquiry, MP Mark Francois raised concerns as to whether the department has sufficient resources to address these problems across the country, given the large expense associated with dealing with such issues.

After the apology, he said: “Thank you for what you have said, on behalf of my constituents and the school, thank you. They will be grateful.”

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete was a widely used until the 1980s but is now viewed as “a risk to the safety of buildings”.