Dozens of schools across England have had to partially close classrooms and even whole buildings due to being built using concrete that could suddenly collapse.
Last week the Department for Education (DfE) said it had contacted 104 schools fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) - a lightweight building material used from the 1950s up to the mid-1990s.
However, this material is now assessed to be at risk of collapse. The DfE had told the schools to fully or partially shut buildings due to the presence of RACC, following the collapse of a beam last week. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: “Nothing is more important than making sure children and staff are safe in schools and colleges, which is why we are acting on new evidence about RAAC now, ahead of the start of term. “The plan we have set out will minimise the impact on pupil learning and provide schools with the right funding and support they need to put mitigations in place to deal with RAAC.” Ministers have come under fire from trade unions and opposition parties for the timing of the announcement - just days before children are due to return from the summer holidays.
The government said it will publish a full list of affected schools “in due course”. However in the meantime here is a list, correct as of Monday morning, compiled by the Press Association of schools that have said they may have to close buildings, or have already confirmed they are partially or fully shut. St Bernard’s School, Bolton, Greater Manchester - Scaffolding will be put in place to support several areas of the school with Raac, causing “disruption” until the work is