School closures: More unsafe RAAC concrete buildings listed as ministers defend move

Jump to content Sign up to our newsletters Subscribe News Sport Voices Culture Lifestyle Travel Premium Close Construction expert explains what is RAAC concrete after reports of unsafe schools More than 100 schools in England have been told to immediately close classrooms and buildings over safety fears , plunging the annual back-to-school rush into chaos for many. Thousands of pupils now risk having to start the year taking lessons online or in temporary accommodation as some schools will be forced to shut completely. Ministers were accused of ‘incompetence’ as the order was issued just days before schools were to reopen next week. But schools minister Nick Gibb said the safety of children and staff ‘is of the utmost importance’. He told GB News: ‘The decision is being taken now because over the summer, evidence has emerged about buildings in this country and in other countries – not just schools – where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) that was considered to be non-critical, actually turned out to fail. ‘So we took a very strict decision over the summer, we liaised with experts, and we took a cautious approach to make sure, because safety of children and staff in our schools is of the utmost importance.’ 1693556673 Steve Reed MP said Labour are calling on the government to ‘publish a list of the schools that are affected so parents can see.’ Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 09:24 1693555644 A Leicester city council spokesman 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 (Thursday) the DfE has 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.’ Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 09:07 1693554487 On whether all schools affected have now been informed, schools minister Nick Gibb said: ‘The vast majority have. We have been calling them yesterday, but there are a few more that we’re calling today, and those schools are now talking to parents about what’s going to happen in their school.’ Mr Gibb also said the government will release a list of the schools in ‘due course’. Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 08:48 1693554171 The government will cover ‘all capital costs’ over disruption to educational building from the use of a type of concrete prone to collapse, the schools minister has said. Asked on Sky News who will pay if schools need to either fully or partially relocate, Nick Gibb said: ‘We will pay for that. We’ve made it very clear we will cover all capital costs. ‘So if in the worst-case scenario, we need portacabins in the school estate for an alternative accommodation, we will cover all those costs. ‘So there has been some speculation that we won’t cover those costs. We absolutely will.’ Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 08:42 1693552821 Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is a lightweight form of concrete that was used in schools, colleges and other building construction from the 1950s until the mid-1990s, according to a government website. It is made from a combination of cement, lime, water, and an aeration agent. The mixture is poured into moulds and then subjected to high pressure and heat, known as autoclaving, to create a lightweight, strong, and porous material. As of 30 August 2023, records show there were 156 educational buildings built with RAAC. Only 56 of these had ‘mitigations’ in place, meaning engineers had deemed sites were not a risk due to areas being closed down or reinforced with other materials. The concrete is aerated and ‘bubbly’, contains no ‘coarse aggregate’ and is less dense than traditional concrete, being around a third of the weight, according to a building consultancy. This means it is more prone to collapse over time. In 2018, it was flagged as a safety risk after a school roof collapsed in Kent. Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is a lightweight form of concrete used from the 1950s to the 1990s Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 08:20 1693552639 Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin said he had been ‘advised that more schools could be affected in Harwich and North Essex than any other constituency’ as eight schools are at risk of collapsing. He told the BBC: ‘I was quite staggered. I had no idea the problem was so widespread and so concentrated in Essex. ‘I’m extremely exercised by this and I’m making sure that schools are aware they can use me to press the Department of Education (DfE) for the support they need.’ Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 08:17 1693552209 The government is rebuilding seven hospitals due to issues related to ‘extensive RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete)’, the schools minister has said. Asked on BBC Breakfast if other public buildings could be affected by that type of building material used between the 1950s and the mid-1990s, Nick Gibb said: ‘Right across the public sector, we are surveying the estate. ‘You’ve heard of a court closing at Harrow. We are taking action, of course, in the hospital sector as well. ‘Hospitals are very large buildings and they have teams of very expert maintenance people monitoring the building the whole time. ‘They use propping where they identify RAAC and also we are rebuilding seven hospitals because of extensive RAAC in those hospitals.’ Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 08:10 1693551200 Cllr Kevin Bentley, Senior Vice-Chairman of the Local Government Association, said: ‘Leaving this announcement until near the end of the summer holidays, rather than at the beginning, has left schools and councils with very little time to make urgent rearrangements and minimise disruption to classroom learning. ‘The LGA has been warning of the risk from RAAC in schools since 2018. The Government should urgently establish a taskforce, including with the LGA and councils to ensure the safety of both pupils and staff in the long term. ‘Councils will be supporting schools in their areas who have had to close affected buildings, including by providing alternative spaces. The Government should also provide councils with the necessary funding and technical expertise to repair or replace those buildings with RAAC. ‘The Government also needs to provide councils with financial support where they are supporting other schools, such as academies and faith schools, which have had to close buildings due to the presence of RAAC. ‘This includes our call for a single, local funding pot to replace the existing fragmented system for school capital projects and for this to sit with councils, who should have the power to determine how and where this is best spent in their local areas. ‘Councils will now work fast to ensure children’s education is disrupted as little as possible.’ Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 07:53 1693550182 More schools could be impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), the schools minister has said. Nick Gibb told GB News : ‘We are putting large amounts of capital into the school estate to improve the condition and, by the way, RAAC applies only in the period (between) the 1950s and the 1990s, so schools built or extended before that period or afterwards – which is about half the school estate – will not even need to consider whether they have RAAC. ‘The issue is any extensions or schools built in that period, 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. ‘It’s in 156 schools. There may be more after that as these questionnaires continue to be surveyed and we continue to do more surveying work.’ Asked if parents should worry during the wait for more survey results, Mr Gibb said: ‘No, they shouldn’t worry. ‘Parents will be informed by the school. We were speaking to schools yesterday, some more today, and then schools are telling parents what action they are taking.’ Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 07:36 1693549352 The schools minister has said fresh evidence has come to light regarding the structural integrity of buildings in the United Kingdom, extending beyond schools. Nick Gibb told GB News why school buildings were being closed so close to the start of term. He said: ‘The decision is being taken now because over the summer, evidence has emerged about buildings in this country and in other countries – not just schools – where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) that was considered to be non-critical, actually turned out to fail. ‘So we took a very strict decision over the summer, we liaised with experts, and we took a cautious approach to make sure, because safety of children and staff in our schools is of the utmost importance. ‘So we took the decision that the previous policy, which was to take buildings out of use if the RAAC was considered to be in a critical state, we changed that policy yesterday so that any RAAC identified in schools, now those buildings will be taken out of use. ‘And we are supporting the 156 schools where this is a situation to find alternative accommodation for students.’ He added: ‘I know parents and children will be frustrated by this but our paramount concern is the safety of children and staff in those schools.’ Maryam Zakir-Hussain 1 September 2023 07:22 Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in