Call to solve buildings crisis

Eight education unions, together with the NGA school governors’ body, have called on prime minister Rishi Sunak to invest an extra £4.4 billion annually to “get a grip on the school buildings crisis”.

The unions — ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, GMB, UNISON, Unite and Community — say the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in schools crisis (see page 23) has highlighted the wider issue of “crippling underfunding” that has left many buildings unsafe and no longer fit for purpose. Pointing to numerous reports highlighting crumbling school buildings, the presence of asbestos, leaking roofs, and temporary accommodation that has long outlived its intended lifespan, they called for urgent action to ensure the school estate is upgraded and made safe for education in the 21st century.

Despite writing to and meeting with education secretary Gillian Keegan, the unions said they still did not have a timeframe on when all schools at risk would be investigated by qualified structural engineers to assess the extent of the problem and measures that need to be put in place to rectify the presence of RAAC.

A deadline set to clear RAAC from every school had also not been set, they added.  

As it is clear there is a link between the use of RAAC and the presence of asbestos in some schools, a key demand is a national register of the location of asbestos and RAAC in schools.