More than 100 schools told to close buildings over safety fears

Germanshepherdsmum

Better now than wait for an accident to happen.

What sort of excuse is that for sub-standard buildings. If it was only this that was making Britain unfit for human habitation in the last 13 years then, perhaps, there would be a scintilla of room for excuse, but it is in a long line of closing their eyes.

Didn't proper Conservatives build to last and 'conserve'. This set of wide boys haven't a clue.

A local secondary school has been told to close one wing (17 classrooms)
The students will be in the ( divided) sports hall and dining room, plus some in corridors.
A staff room is being used also: not the best start to the year for pupils or teachers.

From interviews with teachers it appears before the summer holidays the extent was known but no immediate action demanded, but it has only just been changed to action must be taken.
It was pointed out that it's one problem to provide extra normal classrooms, but specialised facilities like science have just not been addressed.

Right 40 new hospitals, 100+ new schools, 300K new houses loads of migrant accommodation and so few of our youngsters being trained as builders. This government certainly has its work cut out for before the next election. Creek and paddle come to mind!

The government/DofE seem to have confirmed that schools, nurseries, and colleges will have to fund alternative accommodation themselves.

They are also refusing to issue a list of schools affected, for some reason.

"Official guidance has now been issued to schools, school nurseries and colleges - which have been told they will have to fund their own emergency accommodation"

Media have cobbled together a bit of a list from local reports:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12469123/School-closing-list-RAAC-concrete-building-collapses.html

Well it's fairly obvious why nothing has been done so far. It was a bit of a gamble that nothing would need to be done until after the next election. Even now I would imagine the government are trying to work out how much of the cost they can hold off on paying and load onto the next government.

The issue was discussed in the House of Lords in June.

hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2023-06-20/debates/7C03C9E8-12AC-4259-AA42-FA73FFE8DC5C/SchoolBuildingsSafety

Schools Minister, Nick Gibb didn't improve matters on Today this a.m., toeing the party line.
There has been no list published of affected schools as yet. It is up to parents to contact their school.
It is an extremely difficult task to find suitable accomodation in the locality and again this could and should have been prevented before this time. It has been known at least since 2018. Look how the budget for scvhools has been cut over time.

I think initial surveys stated that schools could continue to operate although this material was used if suitable supported (Acroprops and the like), but, a decade has passed and the material has decayed further, hence the current panic.

It seems this material only had an estimated life of 30 years. What possessed anyone to think it was a suitable material to use in constructing buildings intended to stay in use for more than 20 years (allowing for a margin of safety?

Casdon

Has anybody seen a list of which schools are affected?

No, many parents have not been told yet. According to Nick Gibb on LBC, , this problem may also affect some hospitals and court buildings.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12468987/Parents-devastated-100-schools-ordered-close-new-team-concrete-safety-concerns-pupils-facing-Covid-style-online-learning.html

There seems to be mixed messages coming from government, over who is funding what:

"The DfE said it was taking a “precautionary and proactive step”, adding: “This decision has been made with an abundance of caution.”

"Schools will have to pay for emergency accommodation and transport."

Headteachers said this was an “absolutely ridiculous expectation given the huge pressures on school budgets” and vowed to fight back."

www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/31/thousands-of-pupils-may-have-to-start-term-online-as-over-100-schools-affected-by-crumble-risk-concrete

Has anybody seen a list of which schools are affected?

It's all very well saying that schools can rent alternative accommodation, but some secondary schools have more than 1,000 pupils. Where on earth is accommodation big enough for them to be found? At short notice, too.

Though it's a relief to know that the government will pay the rental costs.

However, under those circumstances, you would have thought that schools might be able to draw on their experience of giving virtual lessons during lockdowns.

renting not tenting

Attlee

Apparently, schools are supposed to pay for any temporary, alternative accommodation, out of their already inadequate budgets.
The government has sat on this for at least five years, why?

The Schools Minister has just said on the news that all capital costs i.e. tenting of temporary building/classrooms will be paid by the Government.

CoolCoco

A prep school near me has recently been fined £800,000 under H and S regulations as a ceiling collapsed on top of a class of children, fortunately no one seriously injured but more by luck than anything. Maybe that case has spurred our zombie government into some kind of too late action.

I read this was because the school in question had used the floor above inappropriately as storage for equipment that was too heavy to bear the load. Hence the fine. Different problem altogether.

it seems as though nothing is functioning properly in this country
I accept the pandemic dominated for a while but that can’t be used to excuse the awful government we are living with. This latest crisis, like the others we live with, didn’t just appear, unexpectedly, overnight.
The government blames everyone else but we’ve had the conservatives in for over a decade.

My DH heard from a family member in Scotland that the School in the area they went to has closed for the same reason, so not just England. These children are now in temp buildings as the school year has started.

They have known for 5 years, but nothing was done, apparently.

The government have told schools to use temporary buildings, but won't be funding any of the rental costs etc,

"Elsewhere, Association of School and College Leaders policy director Julie McCulloch accused the government of being too slow to respond.

“The danger of structural failure in school buildings where this type of concrete was used in construction has been known since at least 2018”, Ms McCulloch said."

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/schools-affected-by-raac-concrete-b2403037.html

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12468429/Fury-government-schools-close-buildings-concrete.html

It seems as though notjing is functioning properly in this country.🙄

A prep school near me has recently been fined £800,000 under H and S regulations as a ceiling collapsed on top of a class of children, fortunately no one seriously injured but more by luck than anything. Maybe that case has spurred our zombie government into some kind of too late action.

Apparently, schools are supposed to pay for any temporary, alternative accommodation, out of their already inadequate budgets.
The government has sat on this for at least five years, why?

Too little, far too late - just as expected from this government, so no surprise to me either.

A woman on TV said they had known about her school since 2018. I've reached a point where nothing surprises me any more.

By they I mean the Government as head teachers have been reporting problems and trying to deal with this for some time now.

Casdon

It’s such terrible timing just before most schools return for the new year. If they had known just six weeks ago they would have had time to sort out alternative accommodation over the school holidays.

I thought they had known for a lot longer than that.