Fears more schools could shut over crumbling concrete - check list

3 schools in London borough taking 'extraordinary measures' due to concrete risk

Three schools in a single London borough have been forced to take "extraordinary measures" due to the risk of collapsing concrete.

In a letter addressed to the Education Secretary, Councillor Sirajul Islam of Bethnal Green East said there are three schools in the area - none publicly named - which have been affected by the crisis, reports MyLondon.

They are able to stay open while the affected areas are due to be cordoned off, says the council on its website. Cllr Islam said: "There are three schools within the borough of Tower Hamlets that are affected by this scandal, that have had to take extraordinary measure to ensure the safety of their students.

"With just days to go before the start of the new term parents have got enough to worry about without having to find out if their child’s school is safe." He added: "It is staggering that ministers have waited until now to act on this issue, and it is appalling that thousands of children across the country face chaos and disruption to their education because they cannot start at their own school next week."

School contains crumbling concrete - but pupils still expected back next week

A school in London is known to have a dangerous type of concrete - but is expected to open as normal on Tuesday.

St Gregory's Science College in Brent has a building that contains the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). It is expected to be made safe before pupils return next week, reports MyLondon.

Brent Council leader, Councillor Muhammed Butt, said: "One school in Brent (St Gregory's Catholic Science College) has identified reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in one of its buildings."

He added: "Safety measures are being introduced and work is underway to prop up the affected area. The works should be completed by Monday for students to safely return on Tuesday as planned."

School given 24 hours to shut over concrete risk with pupils split over 4 sites

A school was given 24 hours to close due to aerated concrete and had to spread its 500 pupils across four sites which included a mosque's community hall and a manor house.

Striking teacher forced to take a second job to pay bills ahead of mass walkout

Luke Whitney, headteacher of Mayflower Primary School in Leicester, said the school was one of the first where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was identified in April, and they were given one day to empty the building in what he described as an "absolute nightmare".

They had to revert to online learning initially as they did during the pandemic, and in the days that followed the community came together and two schools offered spare space for classes, a mosque let them use its community hall and a manor house was also used.

The pupils were split up into four groups and the school carried on in person until they were told part of the original building could be used again just before the summer holidays. Half of the pupils are now back on site and half are still being taught elsewhere while a temporary school is built on the grounds, which

Mr Whitney hopes will be ready in February next year. But it is not known if the former building can be repaired or will need to be demolished.

School network hits out at 'failure' just days ahead of new term

A schools network led by headteachers has hit out at the plans to fully or partially close just days before the new academic year.

Chris Zarraga, director of Schools North East, urged the Department of Education to set out a clear plan, and meet the "basic needs" of schools, including building conditions, reports Chronicle Live.

He said: "If the government is serious about ‘levelling-up’, then it is vital that the basic needs of schools, such as the condition of buildings and estates, is met. Schools urgently need a strategic plan that supports the many challenges that North East schools are facing, including the condition of school buildings, with sustained funding and clear communication with the education profession."

The group has also stated: "The deterioration of school buildings has been known by successive governments, but the process for identifying and communicating to schools what support is needed is clearly failing students and staff."

Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy in Leicester, which has been ordered to shut (Joseph Walshe / SWNS)

Education Secretary's latest statement in full

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has released a new statement this afternoon, as dozens of schools could be forced to close during the start of term.

She said: "Nothing is more important than making sure children and staff are safe in schools and colleges, which is why we are acting on new evidence about RAAC now, ahead of the start of term. We must take a cautious approach because that is the right thing to do for both pupils and staff.

"The plan we have set out will minimise the impact on pupil learning and provide schools with the right funding and support they need to put mitigations in place to deal with RAAC."

Ensuring children and staff are safe in education will always be my top priority

A statement on how we’re addressing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in schools and colleges

Details here: https://t.co/IvduVmsdf2 pic.twitter.com/Z9tN1ubJ7a

— Gillian Keegan MP (@GillianKeegan) August 31, 2023

New guidance sent yesterday tightened school rules on concrete

The guidance on the use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) concrete in school buildings was updated yesterday - prompting headteachers to leap into action just days before the new school term begins.

Previously, guidance had stated that schools should only close parts of buildings if the aerated concrete was beginning to show signs of wear.

But on Thursday, this was changed to include any part of a building where confirmed RAAC is present.

A DfE spokeswoman added that it was a "very, very rare" that this would lead to a total closure of a school building, and that in most facilities with the concrete present it is confined only to a small number of rooms.

RAAC 'is in 37 schools in Scotland'

Around 100 schools have faced disruption in England ahead of the new school year - including partial and full closure of buildings - after dangerous RAAC concrete was found.

The outdated building material popular between the 1950s and 1970s has a three-decade lifespan, and is liable to collapse without warning.

Ministers have admitted the true figure in England could be higher as surveys and inspections continue.

Resurfaced figures obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats via the Freedom of Information Act in May show that it is also present in at least 37 schools in Scotland, where checks on buildings are also currently taking place.

This includes 9 in Dumfries & Galloway, 7 in Aberdeen, 6 in Clackmannanshire and 5 in West Lothian.

There are also 2 schools in each of Dundee, Highland and North Lanarkshire, and 1 school in each of Aberdeenshire, Argyll & Bute, East Lothian and Perth & Kinross at which the concrete is confirmed to be in use.

Investigations were still ongoing at the time in Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire, Falkirk, North Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire.

Full list so far as closures forced across UK over concrete risk

A number of schools have so far announced closures as a result of concerns over crumbling buildings - with more expected to follow.

Chaos has erupted at schools across England as 104 sites have been found to contain the outdated building material, known as reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac). So far several have been ordered to remain closed until the material has been replaced amid concerns it could collapse.

The schools confirmed to be affected so far are:

• Ferryhill School (County Durham)
• Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy (Leicester)
• Parks Primary (Leicester)
• Mayflower Primary School (Leicester)
• Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School (London)
• Crossflats Primary school (Bradford)
• Eldwick Primary School (Bradford)
• Cockermouth School (Cumbria)
• Kingsdown School (Southend)
• Abbey Lane Primary School (Sheffield)

Read the full story here.

(PA)

Images of primary school hit by concrete crisis

Startling new photographs show a primary school forced to partially close after it was found to have substandard RAAC concrete.

Parts of the building are completely taped off, while a sports hall has been transformed into a worksite as concrete slabs are broken deliberately on the floor.

A Leicester City Council spokesman said a notification about the issue at the site came before the summer holidays, and that the authority "worked very closely with them to arrange alternative accommodation in order to ensure in-person teaching was able to continue as quickly as possible."

A city council spokesperson said they had worked with the school 'to ensure in-person teaching was able to continue as quickly as possible' (PA)

Some school buildings 'could be shut until 2025'

A school has reportedly told parents that parts of the building containing dangerous aerated concrete could stay closed until 2025.

One parent at Crossflats Primary School in Bradford told Sky News that the school had informed them "disruption will continue until 2025", and that they "may have to go to a new location altogether".

What is RAAC and what's wrong with it?

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is a lightweight, "bubbly" form of concrete widely used between the 1950s and 1990s.

It was popular with developers because it was cheaper than standard concrete, but that also means it's less durable.

The material is estimated to have a lifespan of just 30 years, and the Health and Safety Executive has said it may "collapse with little or no notice". The Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS) said: "Although called 'concrete', RAAC is very different from traditional concrete and, because of the way in which it was made, much weaker."

How crumbling concrete caused crisis after years of underfunding

Parents and teachers are facing a start-of-term nightmare after more than 100 schools were suddenly told they must fully or partly shut.

The announcement followed inspections into lightweight concrete used in hundreds of public buildings after years of warnings. The problem came to the fore in 2018, when a ceiling at Singlewell Primary School in Kent collapsed. The Government has been accused of underfunding school buildings, with a warning in 2021 that the risk of a fatal collapse was "critical and very likely".

Read the full story here.

More schools could be affected than previously thought, minister says

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has admitted that more schools with facilities dating from the postwar period could be affected by the concrete issue than previously thought.

More than 100 schools have been forced to close or implement urgent measures after RAAC was disovered in the building structures - but a questionnaire sent to headteachers could reveal more cases.

He told GB News: "The issue is any extensions or schools built in that period [1950s-1980s], and that's where we've been focusing our surveys and evidence-gathering since 2022, so we know where RAAC is in the school estate.

A RAAC roof collapse at an Essex school in 2018

Ministers won't release list because they're 'waiting for local authorities to act first'

Government ministers are waiting on local authorities to act before releasing a list of schools affected by the concrete crisis, according to new reports.

One source speaking to Express.co.uk said a full list - demanded by many parents and opposition politicians - could be revealed once all headteachers, school leadership teams, local MPs and responsible individuals have been told and parents have been informed of the issue. Correspondence will also need to be made through several layers of government, including local authorities, it is understood.

More than 100 school closures sparked by beam collapse - but another was hit 5 years ago

The wave of school closures from faulty concrete was sparked by the collapse of a beam over the summer - despite a similar incident happening five years earlier.

More than 100 ordered by the government to close classrooms and buildings containing outdated RAAC concrete, which safety inspectors say is likely to collapse without warning.

The announcement has forced some headteachers to delay the start of the new year with just a few days warning, while others are having to draw up emergency plans to erect temporary classrooms or send pupils to nearby school.

Schools minister Nick Gibb revealed the closures followed a collapse at a school this summer which had previously not been thought to have been at risk.

(Google)

Parents voice fury at lack of info as concrete chaos hits new term

Parents have spoken of their fury at a 'lack of information' after their children's schools were forced to close or implement emergency plans over unsafe concrete.

The Department for Education revealed yesterday that 104 sites have been found to contain outdated Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) - which is weaker than normal concrete and can collapse without warning. It means dozens of classrooms and entire buildings across the country will now have to close for urgent inspections and repairs.

Many worried parents and members of local communities have taken to social media to vent their frustration. One wrote: "What a disgrace! no list of the schools involved, the timing, so close to schools re-opening for their Autumn term, and, the lack of care that this shows the Government has for the UK’s children! Education Secretary, you need to get your act together to deal with this MAJOR problem fast, especially after the effects of the Covid lockdown!".

Another simply wrote: "Where is the list?".

Read the full story here.

(Lee McLean/SWNS)

Nick Gibb claims Westminster started inspections earlier as Wales begins concrete checks

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has claimed that the Westminster government started inspections for aerated concrete at schools in England earlier than devolved governments in other parts of the UK.

He told Radio 4’s Today programme earlier: "Today, Labour-run Wales is for the first time starting those surveys, we started those surveys in 2022".

The Welsh Government has announced a survey into "structures suspected of containing RAAC" at schools in the country - though it also said it has not recieved any reports of the material being present. A similar process is already underway in Scotland, while the DfE in Northern Ireland confirmed it had spoken with colleagues in England and will conduct its own checks.

Two more schools identified as having the problem concrete

Two more schools have been confirmed as containing the potentially dangerous concrete.

Parks Primary and Mayflower Primary School, both in Leicestershire, have been notified by the local council they have had to be “taken out of use”. They join Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy which was earlier identified. Mayflower was forced to close earlier this year over concerns to the structure of the building.

A council spokesperson said: “Three schools in Leicester have been told that they have buildings affected by RAAC and that those buildings need to be taken out of use.

“In the case of Parks Primary and Mayflower Primary School, which are both local authority-maintained schools, this notification came before the summer holidays, and we worked very closely with them to arrange alternative accommodation in order to ensure in-person teaching was able to continue as quickly as possible.

“Yesterday, the also identified Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy as having buildings which need to be taken out of use. While it is an academy-run school, we will be working with the trust to offer support and advice to try to minimise disruption to pupils.”

(Leicester Mercury / Chris Gordon)

It is safe to send kids back to school if headteachers have not been in touch - minister

More from the schools minister, as he has assured parents it is safe for them to send their children back to school next week if they have not heard from headteachers.

Mr Gibb told Times Radio they have taken a “very proactive approach” to identifying those which have the concrete in their buildings from 22,500 schools.

He said: “Parents can be assured if they haven’t heard from schools, that it is safe to send their children into school.

“...More than any other governments in the world, we have been the most proactive in dealing with this issue. It’s been around since the mid-1990s over successive governments.

“But as evidence has emerged, we have taken a very proactive approach in trying to identify in the 22,500 schools - and indeed across the public sector as a whole - where Raac is.”

School chaos caused by beam which suddenly collapsed over the summer

The concrete crisis affecting more than 100 schools across England was sparked by a beam which suddenly collapsed in a building previously believed to be safe.

Schools minister Nick Gibb revealed the incident happened at a school over the summer which had previously not been thought to have been at risk. He told the BBC: “What we discovered over the summer was a number of instances, in schools and in non-schools, in England and outside England, where RAAC that had been considered to be a low risk actually turned out to be unsafe.

“So over the summer, given this evidence, we had to take a decision. Some of that evidence was as late as last week. We had to then decide what to do given the previous advice.

“A beam that had no sign... it was a critical risk and was thought to be safe, collapsed.”

Drone footage shows workmen arriving at Sheffield school

Drone footage has shown the work being carried out at a primary school in Sheffield which has been affected by the substandard concrete.

An area of the playground at Abbey Lane Primary has been cordoned off and filled with skips, portaloos and tools as crews begin to fix the affected areas. The school is one of more than 100 ordered by the government to close classrooms and buildings containing the concrete likely to collapse.

(PA)

Cumbrian school becomes latest to announce closure over concrete

Another school has warned its mums and dads it has been affected by the concrete chaos.

Cockermouth School, in Cumbria, has sent a letter to parents saying “four small specific areas” in corridors leading to classrooms require attention. As a result, an extra inset day has been announced for Tuesday, September 5, so pupils will return a day later than planned.

The letter reads: “Please can I assure everyone the steps we are taking will ensure all staff, students and visitors are safe in our buildings. No classrooms are affected by Raac concert as each of the small areas are in small corridors we can cease use of whilst further investigation takes place.

“Our first priority in school is always to ensure our students and staff are safe at all times. Although this news is sudden, we already have a plan in place to allow us to operate safely when the school opens again.”

Union boss slams 'Government incompetency'

The general secretary of the National Education Union has slammed the Government as “incompetent”over the concrete scandal.

He said: "It is absolutely disgraceful, and a sign of gross Government incompetence, a few days before the start of term 104 schools are finding out some or all of their buildings are unsafe and cannot be used.

"To add insult to injury the Government states in its guidance it will not be covering the costs of emergency temporary accommodation or additional transport."

(Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)

Workmen starting to arrive at affected schools in England

Workmen have been seen arriving at a school ordered to shut following the discovery of panels made from the concrete feared to lead to structure failures.

Teams were pictured at Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy, in Leicester, getting to work on the site.

A note on the school’s website reads: “The school will be closed on Friday and Monday, 1st and 4th September. Parents must see Class Dojo for details on the arrangements for your child.”

(Joseph Walshe / SWNS)

Special school in Southend latest to be ordered to close over concrete fears

A special school in Southend-on-Sea has been ordered by the DfE to close its main building with immediate effect over concerns about concrete.

Staff at Kingsdown School, run by SEN Trust Southend, are now urgently calling parents to update them. The local council is working with the school and DfE to discuss contingency plans to help parent carers and the families of the children, all who have complex needs.

Louise Robinson, headteacher of Kingsdown School said: “Instead of preparing to welcome our students back to class, we’re having to call parents to have very difficult conversations about the fact the school is closed next week.

“We’re hoping a solution can be found that allows us to open the school, at least partially, but that entirely relies on ensuring the safety of our pupils and staff, and approval by DfE.”

Cllr Tony Cox, leader of the council and cabinet member for special educational needs and disabilities, added: “I appreciate the frustration and dismay of the children and their families that this has only come to light just days before the start of the new academic year following further and updated national DfE advice, but safety is paramount.”

(Alamy Live News.)

Headteacher tells of 'huge disruption' facing schools

A headteacher has told of the “huge disruption” to her school as a result of the Raac nightmare.

Cas Evans explained how, days before the start of the new term, she has had to relocate classes and borrow rooms elsewhere in Leicester running up a cost so far of around £30,000. She told Radio 4 it has caused “huge disruption.

'I'd be happy for my nieces and nephews to sit under steel girders holding up ceilings'

Nick Gibb has insisted he would be happy if his own young family members were to be sat in classrooms under ceilings “propped up by a steel girder”.

Earlier today he was interviewed by LBC’s Nick Ferrari who asked if the schools minister would be happy if his nieces and nephews were at an affected school. Gibb replied: "Yes, because we're taking a very precautionary approach.

"Some say we're being overcautious in dealing with this. But the advice is you can prop up these beams. Where they are in a more dangerous condition, of course, we take that room out of use altogether.”

More schools could be shut over raac fears - schools minister

Schools minister Nick Gibb has admitted more schools could be told classrooms must remain shut for fear they could collapse.

He said evidence-gathering and survey work is continuing over the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

Moving to reassure parents and children over the potential risks, he said: "No, they shouldn't worry.

"That's a very cautious approach, so parents can be confident that if they've not been contacted by their school it is safe to send children back into school.

“There may be more after that as these questionnaires continue to be surveyed and we continue to do more surveying work.”

(PA)

How do I find out if my school faces closure - and what should I do?

The Department for Education has refused to release a list of all the schools affected by the closures, with headteachers promising to be in touch with mums and dads whose plans may very quickly change.

The Department for Education (DfE) revealed on Thursday 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.

For more on how to find out if yours is at risk of closing, read this.

Confirmed schools impacted by the concrete concerns - so far

Dozens of schools across England are feared to be in danger of remaining closed next week as emergency repairs are made to crumbling buildings before kids can return safely.

The Department for Education has told schools affected by RAAC - a lightweight form of concrete- to prepare “for the eventuality they are taken out of use and vacated at short notice” until they can be made safe.

So far, five schools have been confirmed to be closed because of the cumbling problems. However more are expected to be added to the list throughout the day, potentially causing headaches for mums and dads nationwide.

The list so far includes Ferryhill School in County Durham where classes will be online for at least the first week, Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy in Leicester, Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School in south London, Crossflats Primary school in Bradford, and Eldwick Primary School in Bradford.

(Getty Images/Mint Images RF)