Pupils at four primary schools have now returned to face-to-face teaching after they were closed by the government last week due to safety concerns.

Birchington Church of England School, near Westgate-on-Sea, Sunny Bank Primary in Sittingbourne, Palmarsh Primary in Hythe, and St James' Church of England School in Tunbridge Wells, shut on Friday (June 16).

Guidelines from the Institution of Structural Engineers raised concerns over the concrete used in each school’s roof – notably the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

The material was used from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s in roof, floor, cladding and wall construction across the UK – mainly in offices and schools.

Three of the schools returned to normal this morning after Sunny Bank Primary reopened its doors yesterday.

KCC cabinet member for education and skills, Rory Love, says huge efforts were made to ensure children could return to classes quickly.

He explained: “We’ve been working overtime throughout the night on Thursday with schools, property specialists and our education teams to ensure these schools could reopen at the earliest opportunity.

“This was to ensure there was a continuity of education for children, as I didn’t want them to miss out.

“The good news as well is the schools which we thought may be a little more challenging have reopened on Wednesday, and have gone to great lengths in ensuring there is absolutely no compromise in the safety of the children or staff.”

A spokesman for the Department for Education added: “The safety of pupils and staff is paramount.

“Where it is suspected that RAAC is present in a school, we take action based on professional advice.”