The Department for Education (DfE) published a full list of schools with collapse-prone reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) earlier today (September 6).
Most of the seven schools are located in Haringey – four in total.
A total of 147 education settings in England are included on the long-awaited list from the Government.
What has the Government said?
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “I know this is the last way parents, teachers and children affected by this wanted to begin the new term, but it will always be my priority to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.
“Thanks to the hard work of schools, colleges, councils, diocese and academy trusts, the majority of settings where Raac has been confirmed have opened to all pupils for the start of term.
“We will continue to support all impacted settings in whatever way we can, whether that’s through our team of dedicated caseworkers or through capital funding to put mitigations in place.
“We are also expediting surveys and urging all responsible bodies to tell us what they know about Raac, so we can be confident that settings are safe and supported.”
What have local authorities said?
Barnet
A spokesperson said: “Yesterday (5 September), we completed our survey of the 51 schools for which the council is responsible.
“We can confirm that our engineering survey teams have not found any of our schools to be affected by Raac-related issues.”
They added: “We have also been made aware that one academy school, which had a survey conducted directly by DfE, has Raac in one of its buildings. This area has been made safe.”
Brent
Brent Council leader Cllr Muhammed Butt said: “One school in Brent (St Gregory’s Catholic Science College) has identified reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in one of its buildings.”
He added: “Safety measures are being introduced and work is underway to prop up the affected area. The works should be completed by Monday for students to safely return on Tuesday as planned.”
Camden
A spokesperson said: “The Government has not given instructions to any Camden schools at the present time on RAAC and we are not anticipating any schools will be asked to close.
“We are carrying out our own checks and our initial surveys indicate none of our schools are affected.”
Enfield
A spokesperson said: “The health and safety of staff and pupils is our top priority and Enfield Council has been working closely with all local schools to identify whether they have been affected by the recent issues with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
“We are aware of three schools impacted and can confirm that no schools have had to close. All Enfield schools were able to open for the return of the academic year.”
They added: “Enfield Council is not aware of any other schools in the borough that have been impacted.
“This situation continues to unfold, and Enfield Council will continue to work closely with all our local schools to support them as fully as possible through this challenging period.”
Haringey
A spokesperson said: “Here in Haringey, we have been very proactive and actively involved in tackling the issue head-on for some months.
“The safety of our students has been – and will always be – our number one priority and that is why we carried out borough-wide surveys to identify any concerns back in February.
They added: “We are ahead of the curve in relation to this matter and have already put funding in place for the works to be carried out.
“We also have temporary and revised accommodation ready for the start of the new term.
“I’m pleased to report that none of our affected schools will be closing as a result of the government’s announcement yesterday and they can rely on our continued support as we look to rectify this issue swiftly and successfully in the future.”
Westminster
Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for young people, learning and culture, Cllr Tim Roca, said: “The health and safety of pupils will always be the council’s top priority.
“We are aware of the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in two classrooms in one local school.
“The school is in direct contact with parents to inform them that these two classrooms are out of use.
“The school will not need to close or move students to online learning and we are supporting staff to ensure disruption to pupils’ education is minimised.”
Full DfE list of affected schools
- St Gregory’s Catholic Science College, Harrow – remote learning
- Hornsey School for Girls, Haringey – term start delayed
- Bishop Douglass School Finchley, Barnet
- Park View School, Haringey
- St Ignatius College, Enfield
- St John Vianney RC Primary School, Haringey
- Welbourne Primary School, Haringey
St Mary Magdalene and St Stephen’s CE Primary School in Westminster has also found Raac on its site, although it did not feature in the DfE’s list.
Enfield Council has said that Winchmore School and Churchfield Primary School may also be affected.
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