As reported by The Guardian, Unpublished data reveals Raac concrete in hundreds of educational sites, sparking safety concerns as funding debates continue
Hundreds of schools in England are still at risk of collapse from crumbling concrete, according to previously unpublished figures.
Official data, which the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found had been wrongly withheld by the Conservative government, confirmed the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) at 235 Department for Education (DfE) sites.
Overall, the material was found in 457 government buildings, including schools, hospitals and prisons, by August this year. It is the equivalent of one in 500 sites across the public estate.
The number of schools with Raac, which the Health and Safety Executive has said is now “life expired” and could collapse “with little or no warning”, rose steadily after the Tories announced the sudden closure of more than 100 schools at the end of August last year.
Before the election, the DfE was said to have refused to commit to funding or even give any timescales for starting work. In her budget, Rachel Reeves announced billions of pounds for capital projects including schools.
The money included £1.4bn to fund the existing school rebuilding programme in the 2025-26 financial year, up £550m on this year, at 518 schools and sixth-form colleges across England. But it will not fund any new projects. There was a further £2.1bn to “improve the condition of the school estate”, up £300m on this year.
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