Schools do not need to splash out on “costly” surveys when scoping out their school buildings for a material liable to collapse, officials have said.
For the past year, the Department for Education has been urging schools and responsible bodies to check for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and complete a questionnaire.
Government property officials say the material – a “crumbly type of concrete used widely in flat-roofed school buildings mostly built pre-1980s – can be “liable to collapse”.
Guidance sent out in December sets out a five-stage RAAC identification process, with “information collection” as the first.
