Lib Dems demand clarity on crumbling schools

The Government has refused to reveal which schools are affected by failing RAAC concrete. The Liberal Democrats are calling for the Government to release the full list of schools affected. 

104 schools have been told to close buildings because they are at risk of collapse due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). However a list of schools affected has not been made available by the Department for Education. 

Lincolnshire County Council have confirmed that no schools under their control have been found to have RAAC, but said that the Department for Education is undertaking surveys in academies across the county.

The Schools Minister Nick Gibb has also conceded that the Government still does not have a definitive list of all schools that might be affected as they “continue to do more surveying work”. 

Councillor Clare Smalley, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on City of Lincoln Council said: “As a teacher myself, I know first-hand that parents in Lincolnshire want to be reassured that they are not sending their child back to school in an unsafe building that may collapse. It comes as some relief that initial reports indicate that none of Lincoln's schools are directly affected by the closures we are seeing nationally, but we need certainty. The Government must come clean about what schools are affected by crumbling concrete. The secrecy about where these schools are located is creating worry and concern for all parents and teachers."

“Ministers must release information about each and every school that has been affected so far, and also set out a timetable to complete inspections on all other schools suspected to have RAAC. The truth is that we should never have gotten to this point. The Government has known about this crumbling concrete for years, but time and again has denied our children the money needed to stop schools from collapsing completely."

A Lincolnshire County Council spokesperson told Liberal Democrat councillors: The LCC property team have undertaken a review of LA maintained schools and confirmed that there is no RAAC present. The DfE are undertaking their own surveys and review of academies to ensure no RAAC is present in those either. None has been identified to date. So, we can confirm that there are no issues currently identified in Lincolnshire and our schools not currently affected for the new school term.”