Chaos for pupils as more than 100 schools are told to shut buildings at risk of collapse
Thousands of pupils in England may begin the autumn term taking lessons remotely or in temporary buildings after the government ordered more than 100 schools to immediately shut buildings made with aerated concrete, which is liable to sudden collapse.
The order from the Department for Education was sent to 156 schools, school nurseries and further education colleges yesterday, plunging the start of the new academic year into chaos for teachers and pupils.
The Health and Safety Executive has said the widely used material was now "life-expired" and could collapse with "little or no notice". But school leaders responded with anger when the DfE said it would not fund emergency measures needed to keep teaching going, placing extra pressure on stretched school budgets.
The National Education Union, representing teachers, described the situation as "absolutely disgraceful" and warned of "massive disruption" to children's education.
The latest development represents a sharp escalation of a building safety crisis that has been brewing for years. Aerated concrete was widely used in schools from the 1950s to the 1990s. It has an estimated 30-year lifespan.
The DfE said school buildings made using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) should be "taken out of use and mitigations should be implemented immediately". Several recent collapses of RAAC roof panels that appeared to be in good condition "have made us less confident buildings containing RAAC should remain open without extra measures in place", the DfE said.
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