The government is being urged to carry out emergency nationwide checks for RAAC as thousands of schools are potentially yet to be assessed for the dangerous material.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has called for ministers to launch an “urgent audit” – to also include the wider public sector estate – after 104 schools were ordered to shut just days before the start of the new term.
The Department for Education ramped up its policy on RAAC – reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete – to mandate all school buildings with it must now close.
This action was previously only taken in the worst cases, but this changed after officials learned over the summer of cases where buildings with RAAC collapsed despite not showing any signs of deterioration.
