Education secretary admits that HUNDREDS more schools could have crumbly concrete

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Hundreds of UK schools could be built with dangerous 'crumbly concrete,' according to a government minister. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has said at least 104 schools have confirmed reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) - but the actual number could be hundreds, with 1,500 schools still yet to return surveys.

It comes as a former senior civil servant slammed the government for 'halving funding for rebuilding schools'. Speaking on the BBC's Today programme, Jonathan Slater, who was the top civil servant at the Department for Education from May 2016 to August 2020, said then-chancellor Rishi Sunak slashed plans to rebuild 100 schools back in 2021. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features He said two surveys of RAAC in schools were carried out, and showed the the scale of the rebuilding programme needed.

The lightweight material was used in roofs, floors and walls between the 1950s and 1990s, but poses a collapse risk. The surveys showed 300 to 400 schools needed to be repaired per year, according to Mr Slater.

The Treasury gave funding to rebuild 100 schools per year. "It was frustrating when your priority was safety," he said. Slater says the education department saw the benefits of the program but "the challenge was to face the chancellor".