Schools face a postcode lottery over a little-known building material “liable to collapse”, with some areas facing greater risks and costs as a result of ageing panels and council inaction.
A Schools Week investigation shows at least 41 schools across 15 local authorities have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Another 150 are either suspected to have RAAC or need extensive investigation.
Some areas have as many as 10 confirmed or 25 potentially affected schools, with repair bills running into millions.
The government first sounded the alarm in 2018 after the roof of a Kent primary collapsed with little warning, but experts say the risks have been clear since the 1980s. Weaker than traditional concrete, RAAC has an estimated 30-year “useful life”.
