Heads at schools affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) are calling for more clarity and timelines on the government’s rebuilding plans to stop them spending more money on “buildings that will be knocked down”.
Schools disrupted by the identification of collapse-prone RAAC in their buildings discovered yesterday how the Department for Education plans to remove it from their sites.
For 119 of the 234 affected schools, the solution will be extensive rebuilding under the government’s 10-year School Rebuilding Programme (SRP), which many of the RAAC schools had been lobbying to be added to.
“I am really pleased the school will be rebuilt. But now we are left in a limbo period,” a headteacher at a RAAC school in the North West, who asked to remain anonymous, told Tes.
“I am under no illusions that anything will happen quickly at all.
“If that limbo lasts a long time it will be difficult for us because the responsible body may not want to spend money fixing things in a building that will be knocked down.”
A letter sent out to schools informing them of the decision on removing RAAC yesterday said they could be waiting until the end of the summer term to hear when rebuilding works could be expected to start.
Rebuilding RAAC schools: ‘I need reassurance’
Honywood School, a secondary in Essex, is one of those that will be rebuilt. But headteacher James Saunders does not currently know much more than that.
“I need a bit more reassurance on where we are going, what that will look like, and to see some concrete action,” he said.
Honywood, which is currently operating mostly from a complex of temporary buildings on its playing fields, is currently starting work to make the RAAC in the building safe with mitigations.
“There is a cost for these mitigations and we don’t want to waste public money on putting them in if the school is going to be demolished and a new one paid for,” Mr Saunders said.
He had previously said that RAAC disruption “takes a toll” on staff and had left the school worried that students would move to other schools.
“If it goes quiet on what will happen again for a sustained period, we will return to that nervousness,” Mr Saunders said.
The school’s temporary classrooms contract lasts until October 2024, and is costing between £40,000 and £45,000 each month.
Maintenance fears
Several of the schools added to the SRP are facing other problems regarding the condition of their buildings.
The North West school mentioned above is operating with its outdated electrical system, damp, asbestos, inefficient glazing and a flooding risk.
“The biggest worry is something critical in our school building fails or gets to the point of no return while we’re waiting,” said the headteacher.
“It’s a waste to keep throwing money at such an old building.”
School Rebuilding Programme delays
Tim Warneford, an academy funding consultant, said RAAC schools added to the SRP will be “anxious to learn which year these works will commence”.
“Given the rate of SRP builds, there is no guarantee any of the 100 schools added to the programme would be brought to the front of the queue, and therefore may be waiting the best part of a decade for a new school,” he said.
The SRP does prioritise the schools with the highest condition need, but it has faced delays in the past.
The DfE has said work is already underway in some cases and will be completed in the coming months.
Making a rebuild work
Scalby School, a secondary in Scarborough affected by RAAC, is slightly further along in the process, but many questions remain regarding its rebuilding.
A potential rebuild site has been identified, but no alternative areas have yet been found in case that site is not appropriate when surveyed or planning permission is not granted.
The plot identified also may not provide enough space to realise the school’s hope of having on-site alternative provision, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision and an initial teacher training (ITT) offer.
“We know even with the sites starting to be identified, we could be waiting a few years,” said Michael McCluskie, learning director of Coast and Vale Learning Trust, which runs the school.
“I don’t think we’re anywhere near to a resolution for this. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get this new building right and we still have a lot of unanswered questions at the moment.”
Unions call for timeline
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said yesterday that clear timelines must be set out for the completion of RAAC work.
Speaking after the RAAC removal announcement yesterday, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said “there is no new money in this announcement”.
“It will take years for the worst-affected schools to be dealt with. It is now clear that, after all the bluster, the government will turn to existing school rebuilding funds to deal with the full list of affected schools,” he said.
Education secretary Gillian Keegan said yesterday that the DfE would continue to work with schools and colleges as they take the next steps in permanently removing RAAC.
She also thanked schools and local authorities for their hard work in keeping pupils in face-to-face education where possible throughout the crisis.
The DfE was contacted for comment today.
