Now 174 schools in England are found to have ‘crumbly’ RAAC concrete, Department for Education says

The number of schools in England where RAAC concrete has been found has jumped from 147 to 174, the Department for Education said.

This means more schools with collapse-prone reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete could potentially move to remote learning, with some still waiting to be assessed. 

Thousands of pupils had a disrupted start to their school year earlier this month as many schools schools were ordered to fully or partially shut buildings to make emergency repairs.

One headteacher has said the disruption could continue until 2025, due to the extent of repairs needed to her school. 

Pupils at Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School are now learning remotely after their schol was added to the list. 

Another 23 schools are partially closed and are having to move to pandemic-style remote learning. 

Pupils at Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School in London are now learning remotely after their schol was added to the list

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan (pictured)  has previously said there uncertainty over school safety

The remainder of the new schools that have been found to have RAAC in the past two weeks include Basildon Church of England Primary School, Farnborough Technology College and Grantham College – but these remain open. 

A previous list – which the Government was criticised for delaying its publication -contained 147 schools.

Nicola Bennett, head of Crossflatts Primary School in West Yorkshire, said in a letter that after a ‘forensic examination’ of the whole school, ‘half of the building’ contains RAAC. She has been forced to shut three classrooms, the kitchen, some toilets, offices and the staffroom.

She said: ‘As we have such a large amount of RAAC identified, I have been advised that the remedial work to the half of the building affected is going to be a huge undertaking and therefore going to take a substantial period of time. I have currently been advised that we will get our school back to its full operation by September 2025’.

A taped off section inside Parks Primary School in Leicester which has been affected with sub standard reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete

Work takes places to fix issues related to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) at Hornsey School for Girls in London

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