The Department for Education’s (DfE) failure to provide information on the critical state of unsafe schools is deeply concerning, says the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)
According to the PAC, 700,000 students are studying in unsafe schools that require significant reconstruction or renovation, affecting the quality of education and hampering students’ academic performance.
The School Rebuilding Programme (SRP), a government initiative addressing these issues, has fallen behind its initial schedule.
Many unsafe schools will miss out on help
While the SRP has considered upgrades for 1,200 schools with safety concerns or poor conditions, only 500 schools will be selected for the programme. Many of the remaining 100 schools, facing serious RAAC issues, will be left in unsafe conditions.
The PAC say they are alarmed by the DfE’s inability to grasp the severity of risks posed to school buildings. Even though the PAC has raised these concerns for years, the DfE has been unable to provide details on pending surveys to identify RAAC, the number of temporary classrooms given to affected schools, or a plan for addressing RAAC issues.
There has been a lack of clarity on how the DfE will support schools affected by RAAC and doubts about the accuracy of their information regarding the number and condition of affected schools. This has led to concerns over the government’s stance on the risks associated with the school infrastructure and RAAC.
“Many children in this country are learning in dilapidated or unsafe buildings. This is unacceptable, but overcoming the consequences of this deficit of long-term infrastructure planning will not be easy,” said Dame Meg Hillier MP, chair of the PAC.
“The School Rebuilding Programme was already struggling to stay on track, and DfE lacked a mechanism to direct funding to regions which need it most. It risks being blown further off course by concerns over RAAC, and many schools in dire need of help will not receive it as a result,” she continued.
An urgent review from the DfE in needed
The PAC has also urged the DfE to provide a comprehensive overview of asbestos presence in schools. As of July 2023, the DfE was unaware of asbestos in just over 4% of schools, a slight improvement from 7% in May 2022.
This still translates to nearly 1,000 schools with potential asbestos issues. Given that RAAC and asbestos can coexist in the same building, addressing these problems becomes more complex.
The PAC has also stressed the need for the government to create a support package and provide best practices to alleviate the negative effects on students and teachers in unsafe schools.
“The images of classroom ceilings collapsed onto empty school desks released in recent months are not just searing indictments of a deteriorating school estate,” said Dame Hillier
“They are chilling reminders of absolute catastrophe averted through sheer luck. Given the poor condition of so many of these buildings, the Government’s prime challenge now is to keep children’s and staff’s safety absolutely paramount,” she concluded.
