A headteachers’ union is calling on the government to provide “financial protection” for schools at risk of collapse, as well as funding for students to catch up on any lost learning.
In 2023, schools were told to close any buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) that did not have existing safety measures in place.
Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told the BBC that affected schools could face fewer enrolments and continued disruption to existing students. “Even small changes in pupil numbers can have significant implications for school budgets,” he said.
“This is a problem decades in the making and something that will be to the financial detriment of the schools affected for years to come.”
In February, Raac was identified in 234 education establishments in England. The Department for Education previously said 119 of these schools – where works to remove Raac are more extensive or complex – will have one or more buildings rebuilt or refurbished through the government’s school rebuilding programme.
A further 110 schools and colleges – where works will typically be smaller in scale – will receive a grant to help them remove Raac from their buildings.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We have inherited a £22bn black hole in the public finances and improving school infrastructure will take time.
“By bringing economic stability and growth, we can fix the foundations of our economy and invest in our public services to rebuild Britain and ensure our schools are fit for the future.
“We know Raac caused disruption to schools and colleges and working closely with them we completed the Raac identification programme earlier this year. We remain fully focused on work to resolve this problem as quickly as possible, permanently removing Raac either through grant funding or the school rebuilding programme.”
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Earlier this month, the Scottish Liberal Democrats called for national registers of buildings with Raac as they pressed the Scottish government for an update on the number of council houses affected.
The move came after 500 homes in Aberdeen were identified as being affected by the collapse-risk concrete and an independent structural engineers’ report on the properties recommended that council tenants be relocated to alternative accommodation within the city.