One sentence summary – The UK government has released a list of 147 schools in England and additional schools in Scotland that are dealing with deteriorating concrete, leading to delays in the start of the academic year and some schools switching to remote learning; the government has faced criticism for its handling of the situation.
At a glance
- The UK government has disclosed a list of 147 schools in England grappling with deteriorating concrete.
- Four of these schools are conducting all classes online due to the worsening condition of the concrete.
- BBC News has updated the list with specific location details and compiled a list of affected schools in Scotland.
- 19 schools had to delay the start of their term and 24 schools will receive some form of remote learning.
- Opposition leader Keir Starmer criticized the Conservative party for cutting corners and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan faced criticism for her comments to school leaders.
The details
The UK government has disclosed a detailed list of 147 schools in England that are grappling with deteriorating concrete.
These schools were built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Four of these schools are currently conducting all their classes online due to the worsening condition of the concrete.
BBC News has taken the responsibility to update the list with specific location details.
In collaboration with the PA News agency, the BBC has also compiled a list of schools in Scotland that have faced issues with RAAC.
The affected schools are spread across various council areas in Scotland.
The list was published on the government website on September 6, 2023, with the information being accurate as of August 30.
The BBC is encouraging individuals with knowledge about crumbling concrete to come forward in confidence.
Contact information has been provided for those who wish to speak with a BBC journalist.
Under increasing pressure, the government released this list of schools that have been identified as having collapse-prone concrete.
As a result, 19 schools responsible for a total of 11,150 pupils had to delay the start of their term.
Out of these, four schools with a combined enrollment of 2,938 students have switched to remote learning, while others have implemented a mix of remote and face-to-face learning.
Rishi Sunak, addressing the concerns, assured the public that the government has taken decisive action to ensure the safety of children and minimize disruption to their education.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer criticized the Conservative party, accusing them of cutting corners and likening the ministers to cowboy builders.
Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman, called for Rishi Sunak to disclose the evidence on the risks associated with RAAC that he received during his tenure as chancellor.
The list of affected schools has been made available on the government website.
Ministers anticipate that the number of affected schools could rise significantly pending the results of building surveys.
The RAAC crisis has become a major topic of discussion in parliament since MPs returned from their summer recess.
The need for school closures and remote learning due to the concrete issues was revealed only shortly before the start of the new academic year.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan faced criticism for her comments to school leaders regarding the completion of forms on potential building issues.
Rishi Sunak also faced criticism for rejecting a funding request to repair 200 schools during his time as chancellor.
The Labour Party claims that building projects at 19 schools affected by RAAC were canceled, as these schools were part of the Building Schools for the Future program that was scrapped by the Conservatives in 2010.
The Department for Education has now published a list of nearly 150 education settings in England that have been identified with collapse-prone reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
Over 100 schools were ordered to fully or partially shut their buildings before the new academic year due to concerns about RAAC.
It is worth noting that 19 schools had to delay the start of their term due to the concrete crisis.
As a result of the ongoing situation, pupils at 24 schools will receive some form of remote learning.
Among these, four schools have transitioned to fully remote learning.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has emphasized the importance of prioritizing the safety of pupils and staff and has pledged to continue supporting the affected settings.
The issue of crumbling concrete in schools has dominated discussions in Prime Minister’s Questions, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticizing the government’s handling of the situation.
In response, Rishi Sunak defended the actions taken by the government.
These are all the available facts and information about the news story regarding the list of schools with crumbling concrete.
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| bbc.co.uk |
|---|
| – The government has released a list of 147 schools in England that have crumbling concrete. |
| – These schools were built using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). |
| – Four of the schools on the list are currently teaching all pupils online due to the condition of the concrete. – BBC News is updating the list with location details. – |
| The list of schools in Scotland that have found RAAC has been compiled by the BBC and the PA News agency. – |
| The list includes schools from various council areas in Scotland. – |
| The government website published the list on 6 September 2023, with the information accurate as of 30 August. – |
| The BBC is encouraging individuals with information about crumbling concrete to share it in confidence. |
| – Contact information is provided for those who wish to speak to a BBC journalist. |
| news.sky.com |
|---|
| – The government has released a list of schools identified with collapse-prone concrete after facing pressure to do so. – 19 schools responsible for 11,150 pupils had to delay the start of term due to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). |
| – 4 schools with a total of 2,938 pupils have returned to remote learning, while others have a mix of remote and face-to-face learning. |
| – Rishi Sunak stated that the government has taken decisive action to ensure children’s safety and minimize disruption to education. |
| – Keir Starmer accused the Conservatives of cutting corners and compared ministers to cowboy builders. – Munira Wilson called for Rishi Sunak to publish evidence on the risks of RAAC that he received when he was chancellor. – |
| The list of affected schools has been published on the government website. |
| – Ministers anticipate that hundreds more schools could be affected pending the results of building surveys. – |
| The RAAC crisis has been a major topic in parliament since MPs returned from their summer breaks. – |
| The need for school closures and remote learning was only revealed shortly before the start of the new year. – Education Secretary Gillian Keegan faced criticism for her comments to school leaders about completing forms on potential building issues. – Rishi Sunak has faced criticism for rejecting a funding request to fix 200 schools while he was chancellor. – |
| The Labour Party claims that building projects were canceled at 19 schools affected by RAAC, which were part of the Building Schools for the Future program scrapped by the Conservatives in 2010. |
| independent.co.uk |
|---|
| – The Department for Education has published a list of nearly 150 education settings in England with collapse-prone reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac). |
| – Over 100 schools were ordered to fully or partially shut buildings before the new academic year due to concerns about Raac. – |
| The list suggests that 19 schools have had to delay the start of term due to the concrete crisis. – Pupils at 24 schools will receive some remote learning because of the concrete crisis, with four schools switching to fully remote learning. – Education Secretary Gillian Keegan prioritizes the safety of pupils and staff and will continue to support impacted settings. – |
| The row over England’s schools dominated Prime Minister’s Questions, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticizing the government and Rishi Sunak defending their actions. – Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson criticized the time taken to publish the list of affected schools. |
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