Temporary classes at Bradford Raac schools could stay for two years

The DfE has applied to keep temporary classrooms at Crossflatts and Eldwick primaries for up to two years

Portable buildings could be used as temporary classrooms for up to two years at schools in Bradford where collapse-prone concrete was found.

Parts of Crossflatts and Eldwick primary schools were closed after the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

The temporary buildings were moved to both sites so classes could continue.

The Department for Education (DfE) has submitted retrospective applications to keep the buildings for two years.

Raac is a lightweight material used mostly in flat roofing - but also in floors and walls - between the 1950s and 1990s and was considered a cheaper alternative to standard concrete.

The Health and Safety Executive warned earlier this year that Raac was now beyond its 30-year lifespan and might "collapse with little or no notice".

About 300 pupils at each of the two school sites in Bradford were affected, the DfE said in its application

Following that warning, specialist surveyors were brought in to assess 46 schools maintained by Bradford Council.

As a result, several classrooms at Crossflatts and Eldwick primary schools were made off limits after being deemed unusable due to containing Raac, with some staff facilities also shut, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In its applications to keep the temporary buildings at the schools for up to two years, the DfE said 10 classrooms at each site were "critically unsafe and cannot be occupied".

About 300 pupils at each school were affected, it added.

Last week a report by MPs slammed the government's response to the Raac schools crisis saying it was "extremely concerning" and that the issue of Raac, used alongside asbestos, had been raised as a concern for several years.

A decision on the applications for the two schools in Bradford was expected to be made in early January.