Raac: Number of English schools with unsafe concrete rises to 174

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66853196

Version 11 of 18.

The number of schools in England affected by crumbling concrete has increased to 174, new figures published by the government show.

The number stood at 147 as of 30 August, but has increased by 27 as of 14 September.

Officials said surveyors had been checking hundreds of schools every week for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, known as Raac.

The government said it would be updating its list every two weeks.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said ministers were taking a "cautious approach".

On Tuesday morning, education minister Baroness Barran and the Department for Education's permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood answered questions about Raac from the education select committee.

On temporary classrooms, MPs were told:

29 schools require temporary classrooms, of which 11 already have them in place

As of Friday, orders had been made for 180 single and 68 double classrooms, plus a mix of "hygiene facilities" (toilets)

But they were unable to provide figures for the number of classrooms that have already been delivered

Answering an urgent question about Raac in the House of Commons later on Tuesday, Ms Keegan said she had visited schools where children were actually happier in temporary classrooms.

"I have been to a number of these schools, and in fact at the first school I went to the children were all petitioning me to stay in the Portakabin because they actually preferred it to the classroom," she said.

Labour's Bridget Phillipson, meanwhile, said the Raac crisis had been a "colossal shambles".

Despite the increase in cases of confirmed Raac in Tuesday's updated list, more pupils in affected schools have been able to return to full-time face-to-face education since the first list was released.

Note all settings with confirmed Raac at 14 September 2023 as published on the government website on 19 September.

A number of schools had to delay their September term restart as the DfE told them to close areas where Raac was present.

Only one setting still has pupils in full remote learning, down from four two weeks ago. Twenty-three settings are providing a mix of face-to-face and remote arrangements, up from 20 on 30 August.

There are no schools which remain closed following the summer holidays. In the first set of figures, there were 19 either closed or delaying the start of term due to Raac.

Three post-16 education settings have also been added to the list of sites affected by crumbling concrete.

The figures released by the DfE relate to state-funded educational settings and mostly include schools as well as maintained colleges and nurseries.

'Hundreds' of English schools checked for Raac

New Raac schools list of buildings

Crumbling concrete surveys under way at 120 schools

The 'formidable' architect who used Raac in schools

Raac is a lightweight material that was used mostly in flat roofing, but also in floors and walls, between the 1950s and 1990s. It is a cheaper alternative to standard concrete and has a lifespan of about 30 years.

Officials have been aware of issues with Raac for decades. But in June this year, a report by the National Audit Office said years of insufficient funding had increased the risk of a building collapse.

Over the summer, a Raac panel that would have been classed as "non-critical" collapsed at a school in England - leading to the final decision to take action. You can find a full timeline of how the concrete crisis developed here.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) union, said the new list of affected schools was an "important update", but called for a "clear plan" to repair and replace damaged buildings over a longer period.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils, called on government to tell local authorities which schools had not yet returned their questionnaires on Raac.

10 schools with Raac were turned down for re-building

By Daniel Wainwright, BBC Verify

The government has pledged to rebuild 50 schools in England per year.

Yet of the 174 schools in England now confirmed to have Raac, BBC analysis shows 10 were not selected for the school rebuilding programme in 2022, while 12 schools now known to be affected were chosen.

But the rebuilding programme is not the only pot of money that can be used to deal with crumbling concrete.

Among the schools whose rebuilds were not taken forward, seven have been awarded funding since 2015 from a separate scheme to deal with "significant condition needs", such as health and safety issues and buildings in poor condition.

Their bids to the Condition Improvement Fund include asking for money for "urgent Raac deck removal", "urgent Raac structure" and "urgent roofing replacements".

BBC Verify has also found 20 secondary schools with Raac on the latest list whose rebuilding and refurbishment projects under a former Labour programme - called Building Schools for the Future - were cancelled by the Conservative-led coalition government in 2010.

However, it is far from certain that Raac would have been dealt with had those refurbishments gone ahead.

We found a further six schools were unaffected by the cancellation of Building Schools for the Future back in 2010, yet have still turned up on the list of those with Raac.

Baroness Barran was also questioned on Tuesday about the short notice schools received that they would have to close affected areas.

Schools with Raac were told on 31 August that they would have to close affected areas that did not have safety mitigations in place, just days before the start of term.

She told MPs the department "couldn't have acted quicker" and said ministers recommended the most cautious approach to the Secretary of State.

In Scotland, schools in 16 local authorities have been found to contain Raac and surveys will be carried out at 120 schools across Northern Ireland to check for the concrete, the Education Authority has said.

Elliot, a year eight pupil at Myton School in Warwick, logs on for a day of remote learning on Tuesday morning

Fay Arrundale's son Elliot attends Myton School in Warwick, but the secondary school has had to close part of its site because of Raac, and is now having different year groups attend in alternate weeks.

Year eight pupil Elliot logged on for his remote school day on Tuesday morning from his home, which is a short distance away from the school.

"It's quite annoying because it's only just there, so it is frustrating," he said.

"It's very different to being in school because it's a very different environment. [I miss] my friends, and I worry that if this goes on for too long I will be behind on my education.

"We won't learn much if we're just sat behind a screen."

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