Ofsted has said that it will not carry out routine inspections at schools that have been confirmed to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in its buildings this term.
It previously said it would “consider” deferring inspections at schools that are being significantly disrupted by building work to deal with RAAC.
Today, the inspectorate has gone further and said it will “avoid” inspecting any setting that is on the Department for Education’s published list of schools with RAAC.
These schools will be removed from Ofsted scheduling and will not be selected for inspection during this term.
It comes after the DfE named 147 schools where RAAC had been confirmed. This included 19 schools that have had to delay the start of term and another 24 where at least some pupils are learning remotely.
The DfE is now working to complete surveys at schools where RAAC is suspected.
At the Public Accounts Committee yesterday, the DfE’s permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood said the department would be updating public information about schools with RAAC on a fortnightly basis.
Ofsted’s statement today adds: “Some settings are not on the list, but are still impacted by RAAC in some way - for example, hosting pupils from schools that have RAAC.
“We have updated our deferrals guidance to make clear that we will consider disruption as a result of measures taken to deal with RAAC when looking at inspection deferral. These measures will be kept under review.”
However, the watchdog added that if it has concerns about a school, “then we may continue to carry out an inspection, in line with our current policy, regardless of their situation with RAAC”.
