Thousands of pupils in England may have to begin the autumn term taking lessons remotely or in temporary buildings after the government ordered more than 100 schools to immediately shut buildings made with aerated concrete until safety work is undertaken.
The guidance from the Department for Education was sent to 156 schools, school nurseries and further education colleges on Thursday, plunging the start of the new academic year into chaos for teachers and pupils.
The National Education Union, representing teachers, described the situation as “absolutely disgraceful” and warned of “massive disruption to the education of thousands of children”.
The government stated that, regardless of the assessed risk of a building made using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) blocks, they should be “taken out of use and mitigations should be implemented immediately”.
The latest development represents a sharp escalation of a building safety crisis that has been brewing for years after the weaker, lighter version of concrete was widely used in schools from the 1950s to the 1990s. It has an estimated 30-year lifespan.
Several recent sudden collapses of RAAC roof panels that appeared to be in good condition are among cases that “have made us less confident that buildings containing RAAC should remain open without extra safety measures in place”, the government said on Thursday.
Schools were told “this may come as a shock and is likely to cause disruption” but the guidance goes on to say “the safety of pupils, students and staff is our priority”.
