Risk alert level for school buildings

As reported by the NEU, the government has known for some time now that the state of disrepair in some schools is ‘a risk to life’

Commenting on the rise in the risk alert level over school buildings collapsing, from “critical – likely” to “critical – very likely”, Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said:  

 “The government has known for some time now that the state of disrepair in some schools is ‘a risk to life’. This was made clear in a document that was leaked in May 2022, more than a decade after Michael Gove tore up the strategy for regenerating school properties. It is sadly yet another syndrome of a short-sighted administration that schools are being allowed to fall further into disrepair. Parents might reasonably have trusted government to ensure safe environments for their children, but that belief is now shattered.   

“The DfE annual report acknowledges that the risk of building collapse is most acute in those ‘system built’ buildings constructed between 1945 and 1970, which are those which are most likely to be riddled with asbestos, further compounding the gravity of the situation, should a collapse occur.  

“We must urgently know which schools are most at risk, whether the leaders of those schools have been informed, and what timescale is in place to put right this situation. As a rich nation we should at the very least expect government to do enough to maintain the security of school buildings, but the funding gap remains enormous. The current government has halved capital spending on schools since 2010 and that is leading to real problems for our children.”