On 1 February 2022, an arson attack destroyed the entire key stage 2 block at Ash Green Community Primary School in Calderdale.
Mungo Sheppard, headteacher at Ash Green Community Primary School talks about how being a member of the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) – the department’s alternative to commercial insurance, supported his school to rebuild after this devastating arson attack.
That night we were incredibly fortunate that fire crews arrived quickly, managing to save the rest of the school. Our fire doors also played a crucial role in containing the blaze. Even so, a large part of the building was gone. The rest had smoke and water damage.
Our school is a member of the DfE’s Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA), calling them was top of my list that night. Their support was immediate. Together with our local authority, they guided us through a salvage operation that started straight away. That meant partial demolition and temporary repairs so we could keep going.
I cannot overstate how much that mattered. I did not have to work out what to do alone while dealing with a crisis. Today, we are fully rebuilt, with all our children back on the original site, but it has been quite a journey.
Building a village of cabins
It was a strange process, starting with quite literally fighting fires. The initial phase was all about addressing operational and strategic needs with the long-term goal of rebuilding bigger and better.
In the aftermath of the fire, we were fortunate to have an incredible team working with us, including colleagues from the RPA and strategic leaders managing the project. We moved about a third of the pupils to our lower site and some to other sites in the community that had opened up to us. We provided learning and food packs to the remaining children.
The first few weeks were intense, balancing the care of our children with the massive task of clearing the site and auditing everything lost in the fire. Teams worked tirelessly, taking down ceilings, removing floors, and addressing water damage. Every computer was meticulously cleaned and tested. Security was maintained 24/7, and demolition companies began removing dangerous structures.
Other local schools offered us places and we were grateful, but our community wanted to stay together. By the end of February half term, all children were back on our upper site, in cramped but workable rooms.
The next phase involved setting up portable cabins and within three weeks, we had a new kind of village with classrooms, intervention spaces, and all necessary facilities. The children and volunteers from the community all helped move the new resources to start working in those portable cabins.
It felt like running two roads at once. One was keeping school going day to day, the other was a huge building project. Weekly meetings with architects, the Department for Education and the local authority kept both moving.
As we moved into 2023, the demolition of the old building left a huge void where the school used to be. Seasonal changes brought new challenges, like setting up scaffolding corridors to protect children from harsh weather.
By summer 2023, we had put the project out to tender, we were determined to provide the best possible environment for our children.
The children had a front-row seat. From their cabins, they watched their new school rise. We took them to see the foundations when it was safe. We also ran virtual tours for pupils and families. The excitement grew with every update.
The difference it made
We were all thrilled as the project progressed, and with the support of the RPA. In July 2024, we held an opening ceremony. Seeing the children's faces on their first day in the new classrooms was priceless.
Now we have this incredible building, the first net zero building in Calderdale, which is doing so much good for our environment. It’s the smartest, newest school building in the area, and it’s been an amazing piece of work. Talking about it makes me feel humble but immensely proud.
Our new extension fits in with the old Victorian building. It has extra solar panels and is the first net zero building in Calderdale. We even gained more playground space.
The whole journey took 30 months. It felt like the longest 2 and a half years of my career. But it brought our community closer together in amazing ways. Our children are in this incredible building, giving us a brighter future.
You can hear more about Mungo's experience of being an RPA member when he joins the RPA Power Hour webinar on 19 November at 2pm.
Register to join the Power Hour.
Has your school or trust joined the Risk Protection Arrangement yet? The RPA is open to state-funded schools and academy trusts across England. Joining gives you cover and support to help you recover if the worst happens as well as other benefits. Find out more and join on GOV.UK.
Any savings, benefits and outcomes described in this blog were provided by Ash Green Community Primary School and reflect its specific experience and circumstances. Individual results will vary between schools and trusts.
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