You may have heard in the press recently about school buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC. You may also have received an email from the Department for Education (DfE) about an RAAC survey earlier this week on the same subject.
NAHT has been raising very significant concerns about the potential risks posed by the historical use of RAAC in some school buildings, both with the DfE and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). We are calling on the DfE to take urgent action to ensure that checks are carried out in every single school where the use of RAAC is identified.
As part of this, it is important that all responsible bodies (usually the local authority or trust) have completed the DfE’s RAAC questionnaire – the DfE’s deadline is today (Tuesday 28 February). NAHT recommends that all members seek confirmation from their responsible body that it has completed this questionnaire on your school’s behalf.
If you consider you might have RAAC in your school, we strongly suggest that you ask your responsible body to contact the DfE about its RAAC assessment programme and seek other specialist advice as necessary. Schools in the programme will receive a visit from a structural engineer, who will verify whether RAAC is present and assess its condition.
