Concrete school closures: 104 schools told to shut amid RAAC risk | UK News
The government is coming under more pressure to name all of the schools at risk of collapse due to the type of concrete used in construction.
Yesterday the Department for Education (DfE) told more than 100 schools to partially or fully close – just in time for the new school year to start in the coming days.
The schools at risk have buildings which were constructed using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which is at greater risk of sudden collapse.
Has your child’s school been affected by RAAC closures? Get in touch at webnews@metro.co.uk.
Some of the 104 schools may have to close completely, the DfE said, while some children might have to return to pandemic-style remote learning.
The state of England’s schools buildings were highlighted in a report in June by public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO).
The report said 700,000 pupils were learning in schools that required major rebuilding or refurbishment.
Yesterday it was revealed two schools in Bradford – Crossflatts Primary School and Eldwick Primary School – had RAAC detected in its buildings. The local council says both interim and long-term alteration works are in progress.
On Thursday more schools with affected buildings were revealed, including Ferryhill School, a secondary in County Durham, Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy in Leicester and Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School in Brixton, south London.
But the full list of affected schools has not been published, drawing criticism from teaching unions and opposition politicians.
Plus, schools claim they have been told they will have to fund their own emergency accommodation if buildings are closed – though schools minister Nick Gibb denied this.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told broadcasters: ‘Most parents should not be worried about this at all.’
But shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘We haven’t seen the full list of schools affected.
‘We don’t know where they are, ministers should come clean with parents and set out the full scale of the challenge that we’re facing.
‘I expect ministers next week in the House of Commons to publish that data and tell parents and tell the public exactly where the problems are.’
What is RAAC?
RAAC is a lightweight building material used from the 1950s up to the mid-1990s, but now assessed to be at risk of collapse.
It’s a ‘bubbly’ form of concrete usually found in roofs and occasionally in walls and floors.
It looks like normal concrete, but it’s weaker and less durable. RAAC was favoured in construction projects because of its lightweight thermal properties.
Experts say the building material is less durable than reinforced concrete and deteriorates over time, so is susceptible to sudden failure.
It has a life expectancy of little more than 30 years and this means buildings constructed from the 1950s to the 1990s that have not been checked by structural engineers are at risk of collapse.
RAAC is also prone to collapse when wet – which can happen if a building’s roof leaks.
The DfE has been considering RAAC as a potential issue since late 2018.
National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “It is absolutely disgraceful, and a sign of gross government incompetence, that a few days before the start of term, 104 schools are finding out that some or all of their buildings are unsafe and cannot be used.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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