The Scottish government has confirmed that reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has been found in 35 schools across Scotland.

On Friday evening, the government indicated that mitigation measures were in place to avoid disruption at the 35 schools.

The news came after school buildings in England made with a certain type of concrete that is prone to collapse had been ordered to close over safety fears, prompting calls for action in Scotland.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “This is an issue that all parties are taking seriously and reviews of [RAAC] in property have been conducted by local authorities, NHS Scotland and other public sector organisations for some time so we can all fully understand the scope of RAAC, including in the school estate.

“We have now received returns from all local authorities and councils have sought to reassure ministers that in the small number of schools where they have identified RAAC, appropriate mitigation plans have already been put in place to ensure the safety of pupils and staff, including ensuring that pupils are not being taught in parts of buildings at risk due to RAAC.

“Ministers are clear that they expect local authorities to continue to monitor the situation and we will continue to work closely with them in their response to the challenge.”

Before news emerged about the 35 schools in Scotland, Conservative education spokesperson Liam Kerr told Tes Scotland that he had prioritised flagging up concerns about the safety of school buildings containing RAAC since he took up his role in a reshuffle in late June.

Figures obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats in May suggested RAAC was present in at least 37 schools in Scotland.

Mr Kerr accused the Scottish government of “pushing responsibility for this back to councils” but said the issue was now so serious that government intervention was required “both in identifying the extent of this in schools, and coming up with urgent solutions to deal with it”.

Kerr made his comments after it emerged that the Department for Education was telling schools in England that all school areas containing RAAC “should be taken out of use and mitigations should be implemented immediately”.

The RAAC risk for school buildings

Mr Kerr said: “In the first instance, it is the responsibility of councils to ensure the safety of school buildings.

“But this critical safety issue has now gone well beyond that. That’s why the Scottish government must step in and take some decisive action.

“It’s not good enough for the ministers in charge to repeatedly say it’s down to local authorities and wash their hands of the matter, particularly given that Scottish councils have been starved of funding and may not have the resources to assess and act on this urgently and thoroughly.

“We cannot afford to wait for a safety incident to occur before doing something about this.”

Mr Kerr has submitted several written questions on the issue. One dated 19 July and answered earlier this month - on 15 August - asked the government when it last carried out risk assessments on school buildings containing RAAC; whether it had published the outcomes of any such assessments; and if this was not the case, whether it planned to do so, and how regularly any such assessments would take place in the future.

In response, Jenny Gilruth, the education secretary, said that building safety “is a matter for the owner - who in this case would be individual local authorities”.  She added that “health and safety legislation is not devolved to the Scottish government”.

In another response - dated 16 August - Ms Gilruth said the Health and Safety Executive, the UK-wide regulator for health and safety, intended to carry out research into buildings that contain RAAC.

She said: “The research methodology is in the final stages of development, which includes assessment tools to help measure the risks associated with RAAC planks. We will monitor the research when it is commissioned and apply the findings and recommendations appropriately.”

Earlier today, responding to the concerns about the safety of Scottish school buildings, a Scottish government spokesperson said: “We issued guidance and background on RAAC to the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland and Scottish Heads of Property Services networks. We will continue to work closely with all those bodies in responding to the challenge.”

Schools in England are understood to have received advice this week to vacate all buildings containing RAAC days before the start of the new term due to safety concerns, with more than 100 schools affected.

Documents thought to be from the Department for Education (DfE) state that current advice is that all school areas containing RAAC “should be taken out of use”.

The document adds that the order should be carried out “regardless of the risk rating” of the RAAC.

The DfE, which has come under fire from Labour for “staggering incompetence” over the late decision, has this afternoon issued new official guidance for 104 schools that have been identified as having an RAAC-related safety risk within their buildings but do not currently have measures in place to prevent collapse.

The measures will trigger full or partial relocation depending on the extent of RAAC present.

Schools have been told that if they experience high levels of disruption to learning due to building closures they should prioritise for on-site learning pupils who are vulnerable, or whose parents are critical workers and those set to take exams - similar to measures put in place during the Covid lockdowns.

NASUWT teaching union general secretary Patrick Roach said: “We are calling on the Scottish government to urgently take steps to assess the safety of the schools estate. We need to be clear about which buildings may be affected by RAAC and what plans are in place to ensure children’s education faces minimum disruption if their schools are found to be unsafe.”

NASUWT national official for Scotland, Mike Corbett, said: “Nothing is more important than ensuring the safety of children and the staff who work in our schools.

“Children and young people should not be facing the prospect of having their education disrupted as a result of lack of investment and foresight from the Scottish government.

“Ministers must as a matter of urgency commence a programme of school building surveys to ensure we can have a detailed picture of the number of schools that are affected.”