Summary

  • Labour's Keir Starmer used PMQs to liken the government to "cowboy builders" over the RAAC crisis who seek to shift blame

  • But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government acted "decisively" on the RAAC crisis and called Starmer "Captain Hindsight"

  • It comes after the government published a list of schools in England with risky RAAC concrete

  • According to the list, 19 schools have delayed the start of term, with four using fully-remote learning

  • It was known that 104 schools were still affected by the concrete - around 50 others have been "mitigated"

  • The Department for Education says the list is only up to date to 30 August, so the actual number is likely to be higher

  • The government told schools to take action in late August, after three incidents involving RAAC over the summer

  1. Schools with RAAC concretepublished at 11:41 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    Markyate Village School and Nursery

    Widford School

    Palmarsh Primary School

    Birchington Church of England Primary School

    St James' Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

    St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, Swanley

    Bispham Endowed Church of England Primary School

    Our Lady's Catholic High School

    Mayflower Primary School

    Parks Primary School

    Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre

    Thurston Community College

    Shawfield Primary School

    St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Thames Ditton

    Petroc College

    Park View School

    Springfield Primary School

    Outwoods Primary School

    Denbigh School

    Sale Grammar School

    The Appleton School

    King Ethelbert School

    Holcombe Grammar School

    The Coopers' Company and Coborn School

    Wood Green Academy

    The Honywood Community Science School

    The Billericay School

    Aston Manor Academy

    Hadleigh High School

    The Palmer Catholic Academy

  2. List of schools in England affected by RAACpublished at 11:40 British Summer Time 6 September 2023
    Breaking

    The Department for Education has published a list, external of the schools and colleges in England affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) - the light-weight material at risk of dangerous collapse.

    Over the next few posts, we will share the name of each school. So, to begin:

    Myatt Garden Primary School

    Seven Mills Primary School

    The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls

    St Ignatius College

    Welbourne Primary School

    St John Vianney RC Primary School

    Hornsey School for Girls

    Brandhall Primary School

    St William of York Catholic Primary School

    St Andrew's CofE Primary School, Over Hulton

    All Saints C of E Primary School

    Abbey Lane Primary School

    Pippins School

    Stanway Fiveways Primary School

    Baynards Primary School

    Great Leighs Primary School

    Henham and Ugley Primary and Nursery School

    Bentfield Primary School and Nursery

    White Court School

    Beehive Lane Community Primary School

    Eversley Primary School

    Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Eight Ash Green and Aldham

    St Lawrence Church of England Primary School, Rowhedge

    Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

    Hatfield Peverel St Andrew's Junior School

    Broomfield Primary School

    Mersea Island School

    Cranbourne

  3. List of RAAC-hit schools in England releasedpublished at 11:37 British Summer Time 6 September 2023
    Breaking

    Rob Corp
    Live reporter

    The Department for Education has just dropped the long-promised list of which schools in England are now said to have potentially unsafe RAAC concrete in their buildings.

    We'll have it with you imminently - however, while it will say which schools are affected, this does not necessarily mean the entire site is closed - it could be one or more buildings, a classroom, or even a cupboard.

    If you want, you can use your computer's find function (usually CTRL+F) to search this page for the name of the school you're interested in.

  4. Starmer: No more shortcuts or sticking plasters under Labourpublished at 11:23 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Breakfast he would be prepared to spend money to fix and reform public services in the UK.

    The Labour leader was speaking from Park View, a secondary school in north London affected by RAAC.

    Addressing those voters who might be concerned that Labour would not spend the money necessary to boost public services, Starmer said: "You do spend money, but you have to say where it's going to come from. But you do more than spending money, you also reform.

    "If you look at public services, I ran a public service for five years in criminal justice, I know that of course money improves your public services, and that's why all Labour governments have put more money into our public services."

    He went on to say that change is necessary to modernise public services and that with a Labour government there would be no shortcuts or sticking plasters.

  5. What happened with Birmingham City Council yesterday?published at 11:11 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    Birmingham City Centre from aboveImage source, Getty Images

    Here’s one thing that could well come up in the Commons from midday. Yesterday Birmingham City Council - the largest local authority in Europe - declared itself effectively bankrupt

    What happened?

    • The council issued a Section 114 notice linked to a bill of up to £760m to settle equal pay claims that it could not afford
    • This means the council cannot make any new spending commitments; funding for statutory services will continue
    • The Labour-run council has called this a "necessary step" to get the city back on firm financial footing, while the Conservative opposition has said the council "failed to show the proper speed and urgency needed to tackle equal pay"
    • A bailout had been previously ruled out by the prime minister but late in the afternoon we heard the government was in contact with Birmingham City Council and had “requested more detail from them”
    • Birmingham residents have been getting in touch with us, with one calling the council "laughable" and another describing the situation as a "shambles”
  6. Thirty schools in Scotland have RAAC concrete - PApublished at 10:59 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    A list of 30 schools in Scotland which RAAC in their buildings has been published by the PA news agency, which was given the information by 14 of the country's local authorities:

    The schools, by council area, are:

    Perth and Kinross - Perth Grammar School

    West Lothian Council - St Kentigern's Academy in Blackburn, Balbardie Primary School, Windyknowe Primary in Bathgate, Riverside Primary and Knightsridge Primary in Livingston

    Highland Council - Charleston Academy, Nairn Academy

    Moray - Forres Academy

    Inverclyde Council - one school which has not been named

    Aberdeenshire Council - Mackie Academy, Westhill Academy

    North Lanarkshire Council - one school which has not been named

    East Lothian Council - parts of Preston Lodge High School, PrestonpansArgyll

    Bute Council - John Logie Baird Primary School in Helensburgh

    Aberdeen - Abbotswell Primary, Cornhill Primary, Hazlehead Academy, Northfield Academy, Quarryhill Primary School, St Machar Academy, Westpark School

    Edinburgh - Pentland Primary School, Fox Covert Primary School and St Andrews Fox Covert RC PS (one site), Colinton Primary School, Currie High School and Lorne Primary School, Cramond Primary School and Trinity Primary School

    Dundee - Ardler Primary School and St Fergus Primary School

    North Ayrshire Council - Ardrossan Academy

  7. Watch: We don't have teachers in subjects that matter, says Starmerpublished at 10:50 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Breakfast he would remove the tax breaks for private schools and use that money for state schools to recruit teachers.

    The Labour leader was speaking from Park View, a secondary school in north London affected by RAAC.

    Media caption,

    Starmer: 'We don't have teachers in subjects that matter'

  8. What happens at PMQs?published at 10:40 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    It kicks off with one MP - from the government or the opposition - asking the prime minister to list his engagements for the day.

    Rishi Sunak answers - usually about meetings he had earlier, with more to come - and may also speak on a topical issue, like paying tribute to a person of note.

    Then it's down to business. The leader of the opposition - Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer - gets to ask six questions and each time the PM replies.

    The leader of the second biggest opposition party - currently Stephen Flynn, the SNP's Westminster leader - then gets two questions.

    And then there are the backbenchers. Fifteen MPs, who can be from any party, are selected by random ballot ahead of the session.

    The Speaker - Lindsay Hoyle - announces each one and they stand up and ask their question.

    If he thinks there's time, he'll also select other MPs that stand up and "catch his eye" - as it's known in Parliament-speak. Sometimes a couple of backbenchers come before the Labour leader, or between Labour and the SNP.

  9. Labour seeks vote on schools RAAC repairs fundingpublished at 10:32 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    Labour will attempt to force the government to release documents on what Rishi Sunak knew about RAAC in schools when he was deciding how much to spend on building repairs when he was chancellor.

    Using a piece of parliamentary procedure called a humble address, Labour will hold a vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday to obtain certain documents that could shed more light on the decision.

    These include submissions of evidence from the Department for Education sent to both No 10 Downing Street and the Treasury, as well as related correspondence, when spending decisions were being made between 2020 and 2022.

    The prime minister has said claims he was to blame for the current problems were "utterly wrong".

    You can read more about this here.

  10. BBC Verify

    Building work stopped at 13 RAAC-affected schoolspublished at 10:22 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    At least 13 schools affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) had funding withdrawn in 2021, the BBC has found.

    The analysis found that the schools had been approved for rebuilding under a Labour scheme, which was scrapped by the Conservative-led coalition government in 2010.

    Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was a £55bn project to renew every secondary school in England, rebuilding half of them and refurbishing the rest.

    The scheme was scraped by the coalition, which launched its own school building programme in 2014.

    You can read our full story here.

  11. Why is RAAC headline news?published at 10:13 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    Work being done to fix structural issues caused by RAACImage source, EPA

    The biggest story of the week has been the change in the guidance surrounding RAAC in schools - and we can certainly expect Rishi Sunak to be asked about it today.

    But until recently, many were unaware of the light-weight concrete. So, why has this suddenly become headline news?

    Well, things came to a head over the summer when a school ceiling collapsed, later flagged as being a critical safety issue.

    This, along with two other incidents involving non-critical structures, led Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to conclude the government had underestimated the potential dangers of the material.

    Conversations took place around a week ago between Downing Street and the education department and it was agreed action was necessary.

    Now, many pupils returning from the summer break are finding they will be in temporary classrooms or taught from home.

    It has led some at Westminster and beyond to wonder if Keegan has overreacted.

    Read more here.

  12. What is PMQs?published at 10:11 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    Prime Minister's Questions is a weekly meeting of parliament during which leaders of opposition parties and other MPs question the PM.

    The practice has existed since 1961 and took place over two 15-minute sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

    From 1997 to the start of 2003, it was on Wednesdays between 15:00 to 15:30 BST.

    Presently, the prime minister takes questions between midday and 12:30 BST on Wednesday.

    The PM doesn't know what he or she will be asked, and cannot pass questions on to other ministers.

    The sessions are both televised and streamed online, giving the public a window into the heart of government.

  13. PMQs returns - with plenty going onpublished at 10:05 British Summer Time 6 September 2023

    Gem O'Reilly
    Live reporter

    Hello and welcome as we gear up for the first Prime Minister's Questions since MPs went off on their summer break.

    We're all set for Rishi Sunak's weekly grilling, which gets under way in the House of Commons at midday.

    We fully expect Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to make the most of the current RAAC crisis in England's schools.

    The government says they are committed to rebuilding 500 schools over the next decade but Labour will want to keep the pressure on ministers over whether they ignored safety warnings.

    It's also possible Sunak will be questioned about the government's use of the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland harbour to house asylum seekers, where Legionella bacteria traces were found during the summer.

    Elsewhere, the Conservatives will probably want to make the most of Labour-run Birmingham City Council effectively being declared bankrupt.

    I’m joined by Rob Corp, Emily Atkinson and Nadia Ragozhina to bring you the latest.