A recent analysis has indicated that, a lot of educational institutions are unaware of the threat posed by their structures, and that specialists have been conducting urgent examinations on almost 600 schools in England, recognized as potentially being at risk of structural collapse due to deteriorating concrete.
The Department for Education (DfE) has so far discovered 572 schools where it suspects that, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), a material used in construction that degrades over time and is prone to unexpected failure, may have been used.
A National Audit Office (NAO) report revealed that, RAAC has been detected at 65 schools after 196 inquiries, 24 of which called for immediate action. As a result of the perceived severity of the risk, some schools have been forced to close entirely or in part, while others needed immediate assistance due to concerns of immediate collapse.
However, given that the DfE still lacks a complete understanding of the prevalence and state of RAAC in schools, the overall number of educational facilities at danger have been anticipated to rise dramatically. Also, the dangers have been obvious since an abrupt roof collapse at a primary school in Gravesend, Kent, in 2018.
Schools Week revealed earlier this month that, the DfE advised four schools in Essex and the north-east to close, after RAAC was discovered in their ceilings, with students being taught online or at other venues.
The schools were identified as Hockley Primary School and Mistley Norman Church of England Primary School, both in Essex, as well as two Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust-operated schools in the northeast.
Moreover, the most significant danger to safety is believed to be present in England’s aging school estate, which was built using RAAC, between the 1950s and the mid-1990s. Since 2021, the DfE has classified the likelihood of a structure collapsing resulting in death or injury as a “critical and very likely” risk. NAO claimed that, the DfE is yet to minimize that danger.
NAO reported that, 24,000 school buildings, or 38% of all buildings, are older than the projected design life expectancy, and that 700,000 students are currently enrolled in facilities that need extensive reconstruction or renovation.
“Labour has repeatedly raised the risk to life that school buildings pose to children and staff but have been met with a wall of silence from the Conservative government. Children won’t receive a first-class education in second rate buildings. It’s time for ministers to come clean and tell parents what they know about the state of school buildings and reassure them that children are being educated in buildings that are safe.”
Stephen Morgan, Labour Shadow Schools Minister.
Additionally, the DfE has been concentrating on 14,900 schools that were established at a time when RAAC was frequently used in construction. Of these, 42% have verified that they have begun work to detect RAAC, but the possible hazards in the other schools have been determined.
“The DfE is working with the bodies responsible for all schools with RAAC to confirm that mitigations are in place to ensure pupil and staff safety. It has allocated £6m to undertake 600 assessments by December 2023.”
Department for Education, England.
According to the DfE, since 2015, more than £15 billion has been allocated by the government for maintaining school safety and operations, with investments in 500 developments for new and renovated school structures.
“It is the responsibility of those who run our schools academy trusts, local authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies, who speak to their schools’ day to day to manage the maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building. We will always provide support on a case by case basis if we are alerted to a serious safety issue by these responsible bodies.”
Department for Education, England.
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