Surveyor shortages have delayed vital checks to buildings for crumbling RAAC concrete at England’s biggest college group.
At least two other colleges have had to partially close their sites as more than 100 schools battle a crisis around buildings at risk of collapse.
But FE Week understands no colleges have yet had to delay the start of term for any students due to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), with affected learners moved to other facilities.
Ministers ordered 147 education settings to shut this week because of concerns around RAAC, which was widely used as a lighter alternative to standard concrete from the 1950s to the 1980s. Studies have since found the material can become destabilised over time. The government has known about the problem for years but only recently acted on it after learning over the summer of cases where buildings with RAAC collapsed, despite not showing any signs of deterioration.
