North Yorkshire NEU rep says lack of action over collapse-risk concrete is "shocking"
Scalby School in Scarborough is impacted and won't re open on Monday
Thousands of pupils face a disrupted start to term after education establishments were told buildings cannot be used just a few days before the new school year begins.
Scalby Secondary in Scarborough is one of those impacted with the Head telling parents that it won't re open until Monday 11th September.
Gary McVeigh-Kaye is the National Education Union rep in North Yorkshire: "We've got to have an immediate response by the Government, it is going to take a lot of money, but that is what is needed. What we don't want is to get to a situation where a school roof or part of a school collapses while there are children or staff in place, that could be really serious and really dangerous, so we've got to take this really seriously now."
"This is not something that has just emerged overnight, I understand that the science has got to be done, structural services have got to be done, those take time, but this is not an unknown problem. Anyone who has been in a school for the last 30 or 40 years will know that their school building is a little bit falling down around them."
The Department for Education (DfE) said a minority of the state facilities may have to move completely and some children may be forced back into pandemic-style remote learning.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told broadcasters: “Most parents should not be worried about this at all.”
Guidance sent to affected schools
Official guidance was issued to schools, school nurseries and colleges – which have been told they will have to fund their own emergency accommodation.
The DfE said it contacted the schools in the wake of analysis of new cases after 52 of the 156 educational settings containing the concrete took protective steps so far this year.
The department said a “minority” will need to “either fully or partially relocate” to alternative accommodation while safety measures are installed.
But its guidance to schools said funding will only be provided for works that are “capital funded” and schools will have to pay for rental costs for emergency or temporary accommodation.
Space in nearby schools, community centres or in an “empty local office building” was recommended for the “first few weeks” while buildings are secured with structural supports.
Schools were told moving to pandemic-style remote education should only be considered as a “last resort and for a short period”.
"Turmoil for families"
The Unison union’s head of education Mike Short said: “Parents, pupils and staff will be relieved the issue is finally being taken seriously.
“But to wait until the eleventh hour as schools are preparing for a new academic year will create turmoil for thousands of families. And this could just be the tip of the iceberg.”
The state of England’s schools buildings – as well as problems with RAAC – were highlighted in a report in June by public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO).
The NAO’s report said 700,000 pupils were learning in schools that required major rebuilding or refurbishment.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said the “timing of this couldn’t be worse”.
“What we are seeing here are the very real consequences of a decade of swingeing cuts to spending on school buildings,” he said.
The general secretary of teaching union NASUWT said the announcement highlighted “more than a decade of wilful under-investment” in schools.
Dr Patrick Roach said: “Although we welcome that the DfE has finally taken action to safeguard pupils and teachers, it would appear that mere luck rather than judgment has prevented a major disaster from occurring.”
The Education Secretary insisted that a “cautious approach … is the right thing to do for both pupils and staff”.
“Nothing is more important than making sure children and staff are safe in schools and colleges, which is why we are acting on new evidence about RAAC now, ahead of the start of term,” she said.
“The plan we have set out will minimise the impact on pupil learning and provide schools with the right funding and support they need to put mitigations in place to deal with RAAC.”