Summary

  • Parents have spoken of their shock and anger after learning their children's schools are to close buildings over concrete safety fears

  • They have criticised the timing of the announcement, made days before the new term begins

  • The schools minister has warned that the number of schools forced to close buildings because they contain crumbling concrete could rise

  • Nick Gibb says 156 schools in England are affected so far - but the government will not publish a list until schools have let parents know

  • Earlier, he told the BBC that a beam collapse over the summer prompted the government to tell schools not previously deemed at high risk that they may need to close buildings

  • The National Education Union says the timing of the warnings is "absolutely disgraceful" and "a sign of gross incompetence"

  • Labour has urged ministers to "come clean" and publish a list of the schools with buildings made from aerated concrete

Live Reporting

Edited by Dulcie Lee and Jemma Crew

  1. A daunting reality for affected schools

    Hazel Shearing
    Education correspondent

    The impact of this change, just a few days before the start of term, can’t be underestimated for those schools that are affected.

    Up until this point, schools with confirmed RAAC were being told to get plans in place just in case buildings had to be evacuated.

    Now, all of a sudden, those hypothetical evacuations have become a daunting reality. Schools are being told they can’t use affected buildings unless safety measures are installed.

    That’s ok for the 52 schools that already have mitigations in place, but for the 104 schools that don’t, it’s a problem.

    The Department for Education says it has contacted them this week, sparking what is presumably a rush to get alternative plans in place before children head back to school next week.

    And more schools could be affected, as more than 500 were identified as potentially having problematic RAAC in a report in June.

    Engineers have been carrying out surveys to work out where the problems are.

    But it’s important to remember that while there will be some disruption, there are more than 20,000 schools, colleges and nurseries in England. Today’s announcement won’t make any difference to the vast majority of schools preparing for autumn term.

  2. Schools expected to foot additional costs, says education union

    The National Education Union (NEU) has hit out at the government's decision to close school buildings days before pupils were due to return, calling the move "absolutely disgraceful".

    NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said the announcement was "a sign of gross government incompetence".

    "A few days before the start of term, 104 schools are finding out that some or all of their buildings are unsafe and cannot be used.

    "To add insult to injury the government states in its guidance that it will not be covering the costs of emergency temporary accommodation or additional transport," he said.

    Kebede said the government is "expecting schools to pay the additional costs" of its "shocking neglect of school buildings".

    "This is not made clear in the government announcement, meaning that school leaders are likely to be misled about the full costs to their budget," he added.

  3. Other public buildings also at risk from concrete collapse

    Harrow Crown Court

    Harrow Crown Court

    RAAC, the material at the centre of the school buildings' closures is not just found in educational establishments. It's also used in a lot of other public buildings, and it is causing concern across the UK.

    Numerous public buildings have been identified as being at risk, including schools, hospitals and police stations.

    In Scotland, more than 250 NHS buildings could have been built using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) which can collapse without warning.

    Health officials in the identified buildings are currently working on an investigation to determine whether RAAC is present - that's expected to take between up to eight months.

    Just last month, Harrow Crown Court, in north-west London, was shut down for the foreseeable future after RAAC was found during improvements.

    RAAC is lighter and less durable than traditional concrete, and was used until the mid-1990s.

    The Health and Safety Executive says RAAC is now beyond its lifespan and may "collapse with little or no notice".

    The Office of Government Property, Department of Education (DfE) and Local Government Association have all shared information on the safety risks of RAAC.

    Since 2018, they have been encouraging those responsible for public buildings to conduct surveys to identify the material and take steps to have it removed if found.

  4. School building closures 'a staggering display of Tory incompetence' - Labour

    Labour shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson, August 2023PA Media

    Labour's shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson has called the government's decision to shut some school buildings in England over safety fears an "absolutely staggering display of Tory incompetence".

    "Dozens of England's schools are at risk of collapse with just days before children crowd their corridors.

    "Ministers have been content to let this chaos continue for far too long," she said. "It's long past time the Secretary of State got a grip on her department.

    "Labour knows that children can't get a first-class education in a second-class school, it's incredible that the Tories don't."

  5. What is RAAC?

    As a reminder, more than 100 schools, colleges and nurseries in England must shut buildings made with a concrete prone to collapse.

    The material at the centre of all of this, RAAC - Reinforced Autoclaved Aeriated Concrete - is a lightweight concrete that was used in roofs, floors and walls between the 1950s and 1990s.

    It is a cheaper alternative to standard building material.

    RAAC has air bubbles inside of it and has a limited lifespan, and according to Loughborough University the structural behaviour differs significantly from traditional reinforced concrete” and that there are tens of thousands of these structural panels already in use and “many are showing signs of wear and tear and deterioration".

    The National Audit Office report identified 572 schools where RAAC might be present in June.

    A graphic which explains that aerated concrete may also be found in roofs, floors or walls.

  6. BBC Get In Touch logo.

    Are you a teacher at an affected school? Is your child's school impacted? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

    Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

  7. Government took too long to act on this risk - ASCL

    Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said "the danger of structural failure in school buildings... has been known since at least 2018", and was cited in the Department of Education's own annual report last year.

    "It has taken the government far too long to act on a risk of this seriousness," she said.

    She described the government's response as "vital" given the circumstances, but said the actions which the affected schools must now take are "hugely disruptive... and obviously worrying to pupils, families and staff".

    She added: "The government should have put in place a programme to identify and remediate this risk at a much earlier stage.

    "The 'useful life' of this type of concrete - used from the mid-1950s until the mid-1990s - is only 30 years and it is symptomatic of this underinvestment in school buildings that the situation has had to become critical before anything is done."

  8. The timing of this could not be worse - union

    The general secretary of school leaders union NAHT has called the news “shocking, but not hugely surprising”.

    Paul Whiteman says: “The government is right to put the safety of pupils and staff first - if the safety of buildings cannot be guaranteed, there is no choice but to close them so urgent building work can take place.

    "But there is no escaping the fact that the timing of this couldn't be worse, with children due to return from the summer holidays next week”, he adds.

  9. Education Secretary: Our plan will minimise impact on pupil learning

    Education Secretary Gillian KeeganPA Media

    Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said a “cautious approach” is needed in response to concerns over school buildings that still contain aerated concrete.

    Guidance issued by the Department for Education advised that "any space or area” with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) “should no longer be open without mitigations in place".

    The DfE had identified 572 schools where RAAC might be present and that 65 had been confirmed, of which 24 required immediate action.

    Keegan said: “The plan we have set out will minimise the impact on pupil learning and provide schools with the right funding and support they need to put mitigations in place to deal with RAAC”.

  10. School closures result of government neglect - Lib Dems

    We’ve just heard reaction from the Liberal Democrats, who say the closure of schools in England over safety concerns is the result of “years of Conservative neglect of our school buildings”.

    "Parents, teachers and pupils will be horrified that children have been taught in unsafe buildings and cannot return to school next week, the party’s education spokesperson Munira Wilson says.

    "Instead pupils face more misery learning in temporary classrooms or being bussed miles to local schools."

    She says pupil safety is paramount but "for this to come out just days before term starts is totally unacceptable".

  11. School leaders want urgent plan to fix buildings

    No timeline has been given for when the work on the affected school buildings needs to be done by, but school leaders want an “urgent plan” to get them fixed.

    Back in June, a report by the National Audit Office assessed the risk of injury or death from a school building collapse as "very likely and critical".

    The affected buildings are made with RAAC concrete, which is lightweight and prone to collapse, and was used widely between the 1950s and 1990s.

    That report says 572 schools had been identified where RAAC might be present, 65 had been confirmed to have it and 24 schools required immediate attention.

    Education Secretary Gillian Keegan says today’s decision followed “new evidence about RAAC”.

  12. Welcome to our live coverage

    Emily McGarvey
    Live reporter

    The government says that schools in England will need to immediately close buildings which are made out of a certain type of concrete which is prone to collapsing unless safety measures are put in place.

    The Department for Education says it won’t be releasing the list of 156 schools affected, but we do expect the names of the affected to schools to become public once parents start being emailed.

    Teachers union NAHT says the timing of this couldn’t be worse, with children due to return from summer holidays next week.

    We’ll be bringing you updates on this developing story throughout the afternoon, so stay with us.