Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. HOME News Royal Showbiz & TV Sport Comment Finance Travel Entertainment Life & Style UK Politics Royal US World Science Weather Weird History Nature Sunday InYourArea Schools minister Nick Gibb has said the Government will publish a list of schools affected by the RAAC closures when the Department for Education is in a “stable place”. 11:47, Fri, Sep 1, 2023 | UPDATED: 12:01, Fri, Sep 1, 2023
Schools minister says concrete issues are not widespreadThe Department for Education (DfE) has said it will wait to release a full list of school closures as it works to inform parents ahead of the new term.
The department yesterday raised the alarm that hundreds of UK schools have buildings constructed using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), a material officials have warned is prone to collapse.
Ministers are now in the process of informing schools whether they will require urgent survey work conducted before the start of the new term.
Schools minister Nick Gibb has admitted that, of the 104 schools facing partial or complete closure, some were still waiting to find out whether they would face disruption this morning.
Live updates on latest list of English schools too dangerous to reopen (Image: GETTY – STOCK)
As he made the media rounds this morning, the minister said parents and pupils should not feel apprehensive or worry about the risks.
And he said his department “will publish a list” once the situation is “stable” and every school has been informed.
But the DfE has still drawn significant criticism for the disruption, with Labour and the National Education Union among organisations slamming the Government.
NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “It is absolutely disgraceful, and a sign of gross Government incompetence, that a few days before the start of term 104 schools are finding out that some or all of their buildings are unsafe and cannot be used.
“To add insult to injury the Government states in its guidance that it will not be covering the costs of emergency temporary accommodation or additional transport.”
29 mins ago11:47 Liam Doyle
Ministers waiting for local authorities to act before releasing list – sourceMinisters are waiting for several layers of Government to act on the RAAC situation before they release a public list of schools, a source has said.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, the source said they are working through multiple organisations, including local MPs.
The list will reportedly come once all headteachers, school leadership teams, local MPs and responsible individuals have been told and parents have been informed.
57 mins ago11:19 Liam Doyle
Schools impacted by the concrete concerns – so farMore than 100 schools are confirmed to have been affected by the Government’s recent announcement.
But only a limited list is available so far, with five currently confirmed to have buildings that incorporate the concrete.
The list includes:
– Ferryhill School, County Durham
– Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy, Leicester
– Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School, south London
– Crossflats Primary school, Bradford
– Eldwick Primary School, Bradford
1 hour ago10:55 Liam Doyle
School disruption ‘could continue until 2025’School disruption could continue until 2025, a parent claims to have been told.
Patrick Moore said his daughter is due to return to Crossflats Primary School in Bradford next week, but RAAC was found in some buildings.
He said parents were informed via email “48 hours ago” that the pupils would lose access to “some computer rooms and cooking facilities”.
While the school will reopen as normal otherwise, Mr Moore added that he was warned disruption “will continue until 2025, or they may have to go to a new location altogether”.
1 hour ago10:47 Liam Doyle
Leicester primary school among those closing due to RAAC fearsA Sheffield primary school is among those closing due to RAAC fears, pictures have shown.
Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy has closed days before the new term begins because parts of its buildings are prone to collapse.
The school will close on Friday, September 1, and on Monday, September 4.
Pictures show workmen arriving at the location today, with vans parked outside the school premises.
A worker is seen arriving at Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy (Image: GETTY)
A van parked outside the Leicester school (Image: GETTY)
2 hours ago10:30 Liam Doyle
List of affected schools will be published – GibbSchools Minister Nick Gibb has promised to publish a list of every school affected by the RAAC investigations.
But Mr Gibb said the Department for Education will only publish when parents have heard from schools about potential closures.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the list will come once remediation measures are in place and schools are “stable”.
He said: “We will publish a list – we are talking to schools right now, every school is getting a case worker and will be supported to make the right decision to handle this RAAC issue.
“The schools are then talking to parents, and we want the parents to hear from school, not to read about it in the media first.”
Nick Gibb said a list of schools will come once they are “stable” and informed (Image: GETTY)
2 hours ago09:57 Liam Doyle
Good morningGood morning from London. I’m Liam Doyle, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the recent school closures. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
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