Dozens of UK school buildings ‘at risk of collapsing’ as pupils set to return
Scores of schools that could be at risk of collapse have been warned to be ready for the possibility that they could have to close part or all of their buildings within days, the Mirror can reveal.
The affected schools were built with “crumbly” reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC, from the 1960s to 1990s with a life expectancy of around 30 years.
The risk to pupils’ lives has been known for five years after a primary school partly collapsed in Kent. But documents seen by the Mirror indicate there could be chaos ahead for thousands of pupils.
The Department for Education has told schools affected by RAAC to prepare “for the eventuality that they are taken out of use and vacated at short notice” until they can be made safe. School chiefs are being asked “what it would take to implement that plan ahead of the start of term”.
By May, 65 out of 196 schools inspected were confirmed as having RAAC with another 400 due to be checked out of 600 identified as potentially being affected by RAAC. The Department for Education refused to confirm the latest numbers or how many were being contacted.
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It would not comment on the documents seen by the Mirror, but said: “Where we confirm [RAAC] is present, we work with individual education settings on how to manage RAAC and develop contingency plans to minimise any disruption to education.”
The Mirror understands that for some schools this would mean preparing for almost total closure. Pupils would have to be sent to other schools, taught in alternative locations such as Portakabins or remotely from home. Other schools would only have to close off individual blocks or rooms.
Internal DfE briefings seen by the Mirror state: “DfE has serious concerns about the integrity of RAAC panels and is committed to supporting responsible bodies to address any safety issues that arise as a result.”
Engineers have been visiting schools suspected of having RAAC and rating the risk from “High Critical”, requiring immediate closure, to Low.
But the internal note which we understand has been issued in recent days says: “We want to ensure that all responsible bodies have a clear contingency plan to take RAAC spaces out of use, regardless of rating and what it would take to implement that plan ahead of the start of term.”
Schools have been told to have safety measures in place and to be prepared to evacuate all buildings if necessary. RAAC deteriorates over time and is prone to sudden failure, as happened at Singlewell Primary School in Kent in 2018 – fortunately over a weekend meaning no one was hurt.
Civil servants have been ordered to phone schools to find out if they have "mitigation" - or safety measures - in place in all areas of the school affected by RAAC.n If not, the schools are to be told: "We are clear that for all spaces with confirmed RAAC - even if they are assessed as 'non-critical' - you must have adequate contingencies in place.
"This should include preparations for the eventuality that they are taken out of use and vacated at short notice until mitigations are in place for the spaces to be made safe."
If they are asked "Will we have to evacuate all buildings?", officials are told to say: "We want to make sure that all responsible bodies are prepared for this eventuality, but we are not giving this advice at present".
If asked, "Why are you contacting on a bank holiday weekend? Does that suggest urgency?", they should respond: "We are aware that some schools do not have substantial enough contingency plans. We want to make sure that all schools have plans in place as we continue to work with them to manage this situation".
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “The safety of pupils and teachers is our utmost priority. We have been engaging with schools and responsible bodies about the potential risks of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete since 2018 and subsequently published guidance on identifying and managing it. As part of this work schools have been asked to inform the Department if they believe RAAC is present on their estate."
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The Department for Education has assessed the possibility of a building collapse or failure causing death or injury as a “critical and very likely” risk since 2021. A number of schools have already had to close, either fully or partly, while others have required emergency support owing to fears of collapse.
In June, it was reported that the DfE had told four schools in Essex and the North East of England to close after RAAC was found in their ceilings. Pupils were taught remotely or on alternative sites.
More than a third of school buildings, or 24,000, are past their estimated design lifespan, according to the National Audit Office. It found that 700,000 children are being taught in schools that require major rebuilding or refurbishment programmes.
An £80,000 fine has been issued to Thurlow Educational Trust after a classroom ceiling collapsed on 15 pupils and their teacher at the private Rosemead Preparatory School in Dulwich, South East London, in 2021.
Trust chairman Nick Crawford said the school had “taken significant steps since the incident to ensure that its health and safety arrangements are as robust as they can be”.
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