Raac: More than 100 school buildings in England will be rebuilt or refurbished

More than 100 school buildings in England containing a dangerous concrete will be rebuilt or refurbished, the government has said.

It says all affected schools will receive funding to permanently remove the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

In England, 234 schools in total contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

But unions representing teachers say the announcement doesn't give schools any new money, and are worried about existing school-rebuilding funds being used for the affected schools.

The announcement does not affect schools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as decisions about schools and education there are made by the devolved governments.

What is Raac?

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, also known as Raac, was used as a cheaper alternative to standard concrete, and was used between the 1950s and 1990s.

It has a lifespan of about 30 years, so is it now no longer within this time period.

Last year a beam collapsed in one of the schools containing Raac, and many others were told to close areas where no safety measures were in place, just days before the start of term.

Schools affected have now been able to reopen, but many have moved students to other parts of the school that don't contain Raac.

How many schools have been affected by Raac?

Of the 234 schools and colleges confirmed to contain the concrete:

• 119 will have one or more buildings rebuilt or refurbished through the school rebuilding programme (SRP)

• 110 will receive funding to remove it from their buildings

• All 234 (about 1% of all schools in England) say they have to face-to face learning - but many children are still being taught in temporary classrooms

• Five schools have alternative arrangements in place - for example, the building will no longer be part of the school's estate - that means buildings on the area or land owned by the school.

All schools built during the period of time when Raac was widely used in building work have now responded to a questionnaire, the Department for Education (DfE) has said.

From the questionnaire, surveys have been completed on all the schools that suspected they might have Raac, to find out what work might be needed.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan thanked all schools, colleges and local authorities for their "tireless work" ensuring children remained in face-to-face learning.

"Nothing is more important to me than the safety of every child and member of staff in school," she said.

"We will continue to work closely with schools and colleges as we take the next step to permanently remove Raac from affected buildings."

Schools where Raac was found have been able to reopen, but rooms affected have had to remain closed with children moved to other parts of the school

But unions, that represent teachers, say they are worried that money used for Raac affected schools has been taken from funds that would have been used for wider school-rebuilding and repair work.

The National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said the Department for Education will now have "less money" to spend on much-needed works on other school buildings not affected by Raac.

Last year the National Audit Office that monitors public spending, said it had safety concerns after reporting that 700,000 children in England are being taught in ageing buildings.