PARENTS are said to be fuming after being told a roof collapse spurred school closures – despite there being concrete warning signs for nearly 30 years.
Some 156 schools have been identified as at risk of collapse, forcing many to shut entirely and put pupils back into lockdown-style remote learning.
Schools have been ordered to shut down all buildings which are using old concrete at risk of crumbling, like one in Kent did in 2018Credit: localgov
Singlewell Primary’s roof came down in recent yearsCredit: ITV
Abbey Lane Primary School in Sheffield is one of the many that has been impacted by the concreteCredit: PA
Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy in Leicester is also being forced to close – with staff today seen emptying buildingsCredit: SWNS
Machines were today seen working at Ascot’s St Francis Catholic Primary SchoolCredit: Jeremy Selwyn
Education bosses said children would be taken to other local schools unless their own could have walls propped up to keep the youngsters safe.
Other students have been warned they may have to return to pandemic-style learning – taking online classes from home.
And today thousands of parents are said to still be left in the dark as more “crumbling” schools are yet to be contacted.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb this morning revealed it was the collapse of a beam made of “crumbly” reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) that spurred the sudden closures.
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. And some of that evidence, by the way, was as late as last week. We had to then decide what to do given the previous advice.
“A beam that had no sign… that it was a critical risk and was thought to be safe collapsed.”
But The Times reported the first warnings that the crumbling concrete had been cracking came about in 1995.
A structural engineer in Somerset penned to the journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers described RAAC that had started to crack in a school.
He dubbed it was a “booby trap” for engineers and said that he believed it should not be used in permanent structures.
This morning ministers were urged to publish a full schools list immediately.
It came as officials revealed the schools were made up of dodgy concrete – just days before the new school term starts.
Parents have already opened up about their youngsters’ “devastation” after discovering they may not be returning to their classrooms on Monday.
Unions have now warned this could be just the “the tip of the iceberg”.
They said hundreds more schools built with “crumbly” RAAC expected to be told that they must shut classrooms and buildings.
In June the National Audit Office said as many as 700,000 pupils were in schools needing urgent repair work.
It is feared youngsters would now be effectively faced with another lockdown as schools were told to shut their doors.
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, told The Telegraph: “After years of disruption for children and young people, what they need most is stability and getting back to normal.
“We must learn lessons from the pandemic, and we need to see proper communication to children and families affected by this guidance.
“There also needs to be clear direction as to where children should go at the start of the new term and reassure them that places are safe and suitable.
“An assessment must be made of other settings where children are, and guidance provided as soon as possible.”
Dad Shahzad Ismail was one of the thousands of parents who had learnt their children would be impacted.
The “devastated” dad told BBC: “Even the headteacher that sent that letter, you could tell from the letter how emotionally stressed out she was because it’s going to widely affect a lot of children.”
Another parent told of her son’s “disappointment” after only being told yesterday that his school would be closed.
‘DISCUSSIONS WITH EXPERTS’
Speaking to MailOnline, they said: “My son was supposed to be starting in his new school on Tuesday, however now we will be using Google classroom for the foreseeable future with no confirmed date of face-to-face teaching.
“The school state they were informed of the forced closure on August 29 at 4pm by the DofE and local council.
“We are extremely frustrated and our son is confused and disappointed.”
Simon Allford, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, said it was “a huge concern 700,000 pupils are being taught in buildings that require major rebuilding or refurbishment”.
Schools minister Gibb was this morning quizzed on why parents were only being told days before students were set to head back into classrooms.
He told GB News: “We took the decision as soon as the evidence emerged. We were proactively seeking that evidence, unlike any other governments around the world.
“We take this issue very seriously and as that evidence emerged, we discussed it with experts.”
Mr Gibb added: “This happened in the summer. It could have happened in the coming November. It could have happened during term time.
“It just so happened that it happened over this summer.”
It comes as…
In 2018, one Kent school was forced to close for a week after its ceiling came crashing down.
KentOnline reported Singlewell Primary was where concerns first started growing around RAAC and its ability to crumble.
Today most schools have only some buildings with RAAC – with the concrete found in walls, floors and ceilings.
Schools, nurseries and sixth forms are affected – with a decision taken by Internal advice for Department for Education (DfE) this week to change position.
It says: “As RAAC has been identified in your school/college/nursery we are recommending you vacate the areas with confirmed RAAC – even if they are assessed as non-critical unless mitigations are already in place.
“The current advice is that all RAAC, regardless of the risk rating, should be taken out of use and mitigations should be implemented immediately.”
‘JUST DAYS BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS’
The DfE say they will “provide support with funding urgent mitigations” including propping tools and “temporary classrooms if needed” – which will be fully funded by Government.
Bridget Phillipson, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, today added: “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.”
Schools are now rushing around to get emergency plans in place with just days to go before school starts.
Parents were expected to be told if their school is affected in coming days.
The Cabinet Office also confirmed another 34 public buildings were being probed as they used RAAC.
The Guardian reported that of that, 24 were hospital sites scattered across the country.
What is RAAC and what is the problem with it?
What is RAAC?
RAAC is a lightweight type of concrete and is normally used in the roof, the floor, cladding and wall construction.
It was used in the UK since the mid-1950s but stopped being used in the 80s, according to the Local Government Association.
It’s believed many schools and officers were built with RAAC concrete.
The material has also been found in other types of buildings since – not all of which are in the public sector.
What is wrong with RAAC?
In some cases, inspections found some RAAC planks had defects that when coupled with severe weather, caused them to creep.
The condition of some planks then deteriorated causing them to collapse.
Now all schools using the crumbly concrete like the Gravesend one have been ordered to closeCredit: ITV
Workmen were seen at West Yorkshire’s Crossflats Primary School todayCredit: SWNS
Part of Parks Primary School in Leicester has today been taped offCredit: PA
Initial work has been started at Eldwick Primary School, West YorkshireCredit: SWNS
