The Government has been relying on 'self-reporting' by teachers and governors to find out if schools have dangerous concrete, it has emerged
The Government is facing pressure to carry out a full audit of unsafe concrete in schools as it emerged ministers have been relying on headteachers to “self-report” whether it is present or not.
“We’ve been asked about this since March, we had emails asking for information, whether our schools were built with RAAC materials, how would we know? We’re headteachers and principals, we’re not architects,” headteacher Nigel Attwood toldPreviously, the Government’s position was that schools could continue to operate in buildings where RAAC was present, with some making use of extra safety measures.
Nevertheless, the heightened fears over the safety of RAAC will mean that many schools may need to reassess their buildings. Mr Merrick said that when the government first asked schools about looking for RAAC themselves, the “tone” was “very different”. Accessing some school buildings has been difficult because of the presence of asbestos, while some schools in rural areas have had to wait months for expert assessment.“I think we need to grasp the nettle – every school built within the key dates should have a formal inspection specifically for RAAC.”
Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel added further pressure, telling the BBC the closures were “deeply concerning” and would make the start of term “quite difficult”.
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