The schools minister has warned more schools in England could face closure after more than 100 were told to shut just days before term starts for thousands of pupils.
The government has refused to publicly reveal the 104 education facilities that have been told to shut buildings due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), a material at risk of collapse.
The Department for Education (DfE) said on Thursday a minority of state facilities may have to move completely and some children could be forced back into pandemic-style remote learning.
Official guidance was issued to schools, school nurseries and colleges, which have been told they will have to fund their own emergency accommodation.
Speaking on GB News, Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said: “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.”
He said fresh evidence had come to light regarding the structural integrity of buildings in England, extending beyond schools, and the decision to close the schools could not have been taken any earlier.
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.”
Callout
Space in nearby schools, community centres or in an “empty local office building” was recommended for the “first few weeks” while buildings are secured with structural supports.
Schools were told moving to pandemic-style remote education should only be considered as a “last resort and for a short period”.
RAAC is a lightweight building material used from the 1950s up to the mid-1990s but now assessed to be at risk of collapse.
The DfE has been considering RAAC as a potential problem since late 2018 but the timing of the decision to issue guidance just days before the start of term has angered unions.
