The Department for Education still does not know how many schools were built with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete or contain deadly asbestos, an inquiry has found.
MPs condemned the failure to shield children from hazardous and life-threatening materials as “shocking and disappointing”.
The cross-party Commons Public Accounts Committee writes in a
new report: “Unacceptable numbers of pupils are in poorly maintained or potentially unsafe buildings.”
MPs launched a probe after the National Audit Office, the watchdog for public spending, warned in June “the condition of the school estate is declining and there are safety concerns about some types of buildings”.
In September, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan announced dozens of schools with RAAC would be closed either partially or fully. It was revealed that risks posed by the concrete had been known for years and in 2018, a Kent primary school’s roof fell in.
But after quizzing DfE officials on the crisis, MPs discovered that it does not know exactly how many children and staff are in unsafe buildings.
Committee chair Dame Meg Hillier said: “Images of classroom ceilings collapsed on to empty school desks are not just searing indictments of a deteriorating school estate, they’re chilling reminders of absolute catastrophe averted through sheer luck.
“The Government’s prime challenge now is to keep the safety of children and staff absolutely paramount.”
The Government’s School Rebuilding Programme has looked at 1,200 schools for inclusion – serving an estimated 700,000 pupils – but only 500 will eventually be selected, the inquiry found.
In addition, the DfE has “incomplete knowledge on the number and condition of schools with RAAC” and there are “questions” about whether the information it holds is reliable.
It also concluded the DfE does “not have a complete picture” of how many school structures contain the fibrous mineral asbestos, which – when disturbed – can cause diseases such as asbestosis and some cancers.
On RAAC, a DfE spokesman said: “We do not accept the Committee’s assessment – the Government has taken swift action, responding to new evidence, to identify and support all schools with RAAC to ensure the safety of pupils and teachers.”
