How do I find out if my school faces closure - and what do I do?
Pupils at dozens of schools across England could be forced to take lessons at home next week for the first time since lockdown after buildings were found to contain potentially dangerous concrete.
The Department for Education (DfE) revealed on Thursday that 104 educational sites found to contain the outdated building material, known as Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), will close classrooms or buildings while urgent checks and repairs are made.
Another 56 have already received repair works. It follows a "loss of confidence in buildings containing the material", which is a lightweight form of concrete used in some public buildings from the 1950s until the 1970s.
The Government has come under fire however for refusing to release a list of schools affected by the RAAC closures - and has told parents that headteachers will "let you know directly if there is any change to the start of term".
A total of 156 educational sites found to contain Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) will shut (Getty Images/Mint Images RF)It means parents should wait to hear from their schools first before taking any action. While many schools will see only parts of their buildings closed, teachers may choose to run pandemic-style remote learning at those that are ordered to shut their doors. The Mirror understands that the DfE has been sourcing mobile units to be issued to schools that cannot make alternative arrangements. But ministers will only provide funding for works that are "capital funded", and schools will have to pay for rental costs for emergency accommodation.
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Labour's 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.” Yesterday, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said that "nothing is more important than making sure children and staff are safe in schools and colleges", adding: "We must take a cautious approach because that is the right thing to do for both pupils and staff."
Most schools across the country will be unaffected, the DfE has said, and children should "attend school as normal in September unless you hear differently. Explaining why the concrete has caused concerns, the Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS) has said: "Although called “concrete”, (RAAC) is very different from traditional concrete and, because of the way in which it was made, much weaker. RAAC was used in schools, colleges and other building construction from the 1950s until the mid-1990s. It may therefore be found in any school and college building (educational and ancillary) that was either built or modified in this time period."
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 leaked internal DfE document seen by the Mirror states: "The current advice is that all RAAC, regardless of the risk rating, should be taken out of use and all mitigations should be implemented immediately. If suitable mitigations have already been installed, these spaces can remain in use." A survey for RAAC materials will also be taking place at schools in Wales to establish whether it has been used.
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