One sentence summary – Over 100 schools in England are facing partial or full closure due to safety concerns surrounding the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in their construction, with inadequate maintenance and aging being the primary factors; the Department for Education has not provided specific numbers of affected schools, but has stated that schools lacking safety measures or unable to make alternative arrangements must close or partially close, and while 52 schools have implemented safety measures, 104 are currently working on doing so, and up to 24 schools may have to shut down entirely; the issue extends beyond schools to public buildings like hospitals and police stations, and the government’s change in guidance regarding closures shortly before the start of the new term has caused difficulties for headteachers in making alternative plans.
At a glance
- Over 100 schools in England ordered to partially or fully close due to safety concerns surrounding the concrete used in their construction
- Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) commonly used in buildings from the 60s and 70s
- Safety concerns due to inadequate maintenance and aging of the concrete
- Out of 156 schools with RAAC, 52 have implemented safety measures and 104 are working on it
- Up to 24 schools may have to shut down entirely due to RAAC
The details
Over 100 schools in England have been ordered to partially or fully close due to safety concerns surrounding the concrete used in their construction.
The concrete in question is reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), a material commonly used in buildings from the 60s and 70s.
The safety concerns primarily stem from inadequate maintenance and the effects of aging on the concrete.
The Department for Education (DfE) has not provided specific numbers of schools that need to close as a result of the announcement.
However, the DfE has made it clear that schools with RAAC must close or partially close if they lack safety measures or cannot make alternative arrangements.
Out of the 156 schools that have confirmed the presence of RAAC, 52 have already implemented safety measures.
104 schools are currently working on putting safety measures in place.
Up to 24 schools might have to shut down entirely due to the presence of RAAC.
It is worth noting that there are still hundreds of schools that have not determined whether they have RAAC, possibly indicating a broader scope of the issue.
Affected schools will directly contact parents to inform them about the need for closure or partial closure.
Some schools are implementing remote learning, temporary classrooms, or relocating students to different schools to avoid complete closure.
The problems associated with RAAC extend beyond schools.
Public buildings, including hospitals and police stations, have also been identified as being at risk due to this building material.
The government advised schools to have contingency plans in place since 2018, but the scale of the problem was not fully understood until recently.
The change in guidance regarding the closure of buildings came shortly before the start of the new term, causing headteachers to scramble for alternative plans.
The government claims that building work did not happen earlier because they were unaware of the problem in these specific schools until recently.
The change in guidance currently applies to England only, and the situation in the rest of the UK is not fully known.
Scotland has already begun inspecting RAAC in school buildings, with at least 37 schools found to have RAAC.
The Welsh government will also survey schools and colleges, and surveys are underway in Northern Ireland as well.
The differing responses are due to education being managed by devolved governments in each nation.
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has gained attention within certain government circles due to a school ceiling collapse over the summer, which raised concerns about the potential dangers of this material.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan acknowledged that the government had underestimated the risks associated with RAAC.
Conversations between Downing Street and the education department resulted in the agreement that action was necessary.
Some individuals believe that Keegan may have overreacted, while her allies argue that she has been proactive on the issue.
Former permanent secretary Jonathan Slater claimed that there was a critical risk to life if school repairs were not adequately funded.
Slater further stated that during his tenure, only 100 schools received funding for repairs, despite the need for work in up to 400 schools per year.
Notably, the promise to fund 100 schools was not made public.
The government’s spending review has committed to rebuilding 500 schools in England over the next decade, but this amounts to only 50 schools per year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson disputed Slater’s claims and defended his record.
Private negotiations within the government acknowledged the need to address the issue of RAAC but did not consider it to be imminently dangerous.
The government had other pressing political concerns at the time, such as recovering from the pandemic and focusing on free schools.
The Treasury did not view the issue of RAAC as a pressing matter.
Critics suggest that spending cuts over the past decade may have contributed to the current situation.
The handling of the RAAC issue highlights the choices, judgments, and attitudes towards risk among ministers.
As the situation continues to unfold, the consequences of the government’s shifting position on RAAC will undoubtedly be closely observed.
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| bbc.co.uk |
|---|
| – Over 100 schools in England have been ordered to partially or fully shut buildings due to concerns about the safety of the concrete they were constructed with. |
| – Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is not fundamentally flawed as a building material, but many buildings from the 60s and 70s are experiencing problems due to inadequate maintenance and old age. – |
| The Department for Education (DfE) has not provided specific numbers of schools that need to close as a result of the announcement. |
| – Schools with RAAC must close or partially close if they do not have safety measures in place or cannot make alternative arrangements. |
| – 156 schools have confirmed RAAC, with 52 already implementing safety measures and 104 working to put them in place. |
| Up to 24 schools may have to fully close. |
| – There are still hundreds of schools that have not determined whether they have RAAC. |
| – Affected schools will contact parents directly if they need to close. – Some affected schools are implementing remote learning, temporary classrooms, or relocating students to different schools to avoid complete closure. |
| – Public buildings such as hospitals and police stations have also been identified as being at risk due to RAAC. – |
| The government advised schools to have contingency plans in place since 2018, but the scale of the problem was not fully understood until recently. – Identifying RAAC in buildings is challenging as it looks like normal concrete and requires confirmation from engineers. – |
| The change in guidance regarding the closure of buildings came shortly before the start of the new term, causing headteachers to scramble for alternative plans. – |
| The government claims that building work did not happen earlier because they were unaware of the problem in these specific schools until recently. – |
| The change in guidance currently applies to England only, and the situation in the rest of the UK is not fully known. – Scotland has begun inspecting RAAC in school buildings, with at least 37 schools found to have RAAC. – |
| The Welsh government will survey schools and colleges to check for RAAC, and surveys are also underway in Northern Ireland. – Education is managed by devolved governments in each nation, which is why the response differs depending on the location. |
| theguardian.com |
|---|
| – Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has become a talking point in certain government circles. – |
| A school ceiling collapse over the summer raised concerns about the potential dangers of RAAC. |
| – Education Secretary Gillian Keegan concluded that the government had underestimated the risks of RAAC. – Conversations between Downing Street and the education department led to the agreement that action was necessary. – Some believe that Keegan may have overreacted, while her allies argue that she has been proactive on RAAC. |
| – Former permanent secretary Jonathan Slater claimed that there was a critical risk to life if school repairs were not funded adequately. – Slater stated that only 100 schools received funding for repairs while he was in office, despite the need for work in up to 400 schools per year. – |
| The promise to fund 100 schools was not made public. – |
| The government’s spending review committed to rebuilding 500 schools in England over the next decade, but only 50 per year. – Prime Minister Boris Johnson disputed Slater’s claims and defended his record. |
| – Private negotiations within the government acknowledged the need to address the issue of RAAC but did not consider it to be imminently dangerous. – |
| The government had other pressing political concerns at the time, such as recovering from the pandemic and focusing on free schools. – |
| The Treasury did not consider the issue of RAAC to be pressing. – Critics suggest that spending cuts over the past decade may have contributed to the current situation. – |
| The situation highlights ministers’ choices, judgments, and attitudes towards risk. – |
| The consequences of the government’s shifting position on RAAC will continue to be seen. |
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