Unions demand answers on schools still not surveyed for crumbling RAAC concrete

21 October 2023 , 17:13

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Education Secretary Gillian Keegan (Image: Wiktor Szymanowicz/REX/Shutterstock)

Furious union leaders have demanded to know how many children are still being taught in marquees and mobile classrooms as the RAAC crisis drags on into winter.

Hundreds of schools across the country are now confirmed to have the unsafe crumbling concrete in one or more buildings. Some 43 new schools were identified by the Department for Education (DfE) this week, taking the confirmed total to 214.

But they’ve yet to confirm how many at-risk schools have still not been surveyed. Most schools where buildings have been closed due to RAAC being found have alternative measures in place to allow face-to-face teaching. But the department won’t say how many are in ‘borrowed’ spaces in off-site buildings, mobile structures or even marquees.

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary, NEU: "The DfE is very vague about this. Too vague. Together with the other unions, we are pressing for a meeting with the DfE to obtain the answers to these and a number of other questions which have arisen as a result of the ongoing RAAC crisis - including specifics around RAAC mitigations."

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union the National Association of Headteachers, said: “For some schools, the struggle to simply put in place even suitable temporary measures is still continuing, with many children having now faced a full half-term of disruption, and RAAC still being confirmed in more schools. We’ve heard from a number of school leaders who have been unable to secure temporary classrooms quickly, with all the inconvenience that means for pupils and staff.”

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He added: “We need to see a clear timetable from the government on when work to remove RAAC will be completed and a long-term plan to ensure all school buildings are fit for purpose, both supported by the funding needed.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The Government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than the devolved administrations in the UK. Every school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned a dedicated caseworker who works with them to assess what support is needed and put in place mitigation plans that are right for them.

“We will spend whatever it takes to keep children safe. The government will fund the emergency mitigation work and longer-term refurbishment or rebuilding projects to rectify the RAAC issue. Schools and colleges will either be offered capital grants to fund refurbishment work to permanently remove RAAC, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, including through the School Rebuilding Programme.”

Mikey Smith