'No evidence' that schools in Cornwall will have to close over concrete crisis
A number of schools and colleges in England have been told to partially or fully close buildings with RAAC
The Department for Education (DfE) revealed this week that buildings at more than 50 schools across England are at risk of collapse due to dangerous concrete.
In total, 156 schools have been confirmed as having reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) since 2022.
That type of concrete has now been found to be in danger of cracking or crumbling, and was implicated in a roof collapse at a school in 2018. Several buildings have given way without warning since then.
The Government said this week that any schools confirmed to have RAAC could not open without mitigations and may have to teach online or in alternative buildings.
Safety measures have already been put in place at 52 schools. Asked on BBC Breakfast whether buildings at those schools “could have potentially collapsed”, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “Yes, and that’s why we took action.”
Cornwall Council says it has not been made aware of any instances of RAAC being present at any of its schools in the Duchy. However, that doesn’t include academy schools which are not the responsibility of the council and have to liaise with the DfE.
A council spokesperson said: “Our investigations have found no evidence of the presence of RAAC in our maintained schools in Cornwall. Academies are liaising directly with the Department for Education, but we have not been made aware of any instances of RAAC being present in their buildings.”