Schools concrete crisis: Starmer attacks Sunak’s Tory ‘cowboys’ as full list of closures revealed

Prime minister ‘makes no apology’ for Raac decisions as Labour asks if he is ‘ashamed’ over crisis caused by 13 years of ‘botched jobs’

Expert explains why Raac is more dangerous than standard concrete

Sir Keir Starmer has blamed the crumbling concrete crisis on “cutting corners” and “sticking plaster politics” as he grilled the prime minister in PMQs today.

The Labour leader: “It’s the sort thing you expect from cowboy builders saying everyone else is wrong, everyone is to blame, protesting that they’re doing an effing good job even if the ceiling falls in – except in this case the cowboys are running this country.”

He added: “Isn’t he ashamed that after 13 years children are cowering under steel supports, stopping their classroom roof falling in.”

Rishi Sunak said he was not sorry for the decision to close around 100 of the 156 schools with Raac, saying he would “make no apology for acting decisively in the light of new information”.

It comes as the Department for Education has published a full list of the schools affected with Raac in England.

Are you a parent whose child has been affected by RAAC closures? E-mail alexander.butler@independent.co.uk

Key Points

• Starmer attacks Sunak’s Tory ‘cowboys’ amid concrete crisis
• Sunak ‘makes no apology’ for Raac decisions
• Headteachers angrily accuse Sunak of ‘dumping’ them in crumbling concrete fiasco
• 13 schools with crumbling concrete RAAC had repair work scrapped by Tories
• The full list of schools affected by Raac concrete

[6 September 2023 10:30 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Labour would ensure schools are ‘open and safe,’ Starmer says

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that Labour would ensure schools are both “open and safe”, but did not provide the details of what any rebuilding or refurbishing programme would look like under his party.

It came as he visited Park View School in London alongside shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson.

“The immediate problem is obviously the safety of our schools. I can give an assurance that an incoming Labour government would make sure that our schools are both open and safe and the necessary work is done at pace to make sure that that happens,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“Obviously, as we did when we were last in government, we will have a programme for schools. We’ll set out what that future programme is as we get towards the election.

“We would give an assurance that the necessary work would be done.”

[6 September 2023 10:52 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

A number of school chiefs urged to return surveys about crumbling concrete have raised concerns about the “accuracy” of the government’s records.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the Department for Education (DfE) should review its systems to see whether some of the supposedly non-returned Raac survey forms were returned “but have not been recorded as such due to a technical error”.

He said: “We’ve now received six messages directly from trust and school leaders raising concerns about the accuracy of the Department for Education’s records and have heard similar reports from other sources.

“All tell us that they returned their Raac surveys many months ago but on Monday night they received a letter from education minister Baroness Barran effectively threatening to name and shame them if they did not complete the survey by Friday September 8.”

Mr Baron added: “We would urge the Department for Education to review its systems to see whether at least some of these supposedly non-returned survey forms - and possibly a great many - were in fact returned but have not been recorded as such due to a technical error.

“We would also urge ministers to be very careful about pointing the finger of blame.”

[6 September 2023 11:05 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

What a nerve! Now Gillian Keegan tells schools to ‘get off their backsides’ to help fix concrete crisis

Under-fire education secretary Gillian Keegan has told school chiefs to “get off their backsides” to help fix the crumbling concrete crisis as The Independent can reveal safety fears have now spread to care homes.

For a second day running Ms Keegan was involved in an extraordinary row over the scandal as the government doubled down on its handling of the issue.

She insisted her department had done an “excellent job” – despite ordering more than 100 schools to fully or partially close just days before the start of the new school year.

But she was accused of “finger pointing” and trying to blame individual schools, while senior Tory MPs warned her job was “in danger”.

[6 September 2023 11:33 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Two Kent schools to reopen after being forced to shut for a day

Two Kent schools have reopened after being forced to shut for a day amid concerns over the risk of collapsing concrete.

Palmarsh Primary in Hythe was closed completely on Tuesday and St James’ Church of England Primary in Tunbridge Wells was partially closed, due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

The schools received letters from the Department for Education (DfE) ordering all Raac-affected buildings to be vacated immediately, even in cases where they were previously seen as “non-critical”.

Further clarifications and discussions with the DfE led to both schools reopening to pupils on Wednesday.

The announcement came as more than 100 schools have been partially or fully closed due to the issue.

[6 September 2023 11:41 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Live: Rishi Sunak faces Starmer at PMQs as pressure mounts over school concrete crisis

Watch live as Rishi Sunak faces Sir Keir Starmer in PMQs for the first time since parliament returned from its summer break.

The prime minister will come under pressure to declare what he knew about the crumbling concrete crisis in schools as he clashes with the Labour leader in the House of Commons on Wednesday 6 September.

[6 September 2023 11:48 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

List of Scottish schools with collapse-prone concrete to be published this week

The Scottish government has already confirmed Raac has been detected in 37 schools in Scotland, but these buildings are not expected to close while a “desk-based review” is conducted over the coming months.

A list of schools in Scotland with collapse-prone reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) will be published by the end of this week, Humza Yousaf said as he vowed to “spend what we need to spend” to ensure affected buildings are safe.

The First Minister conceded the Scottish Government does not have contingency funding available to deal with remedial works.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Wednesday, he said: “We don’t have contingencies within the Government to spend on Raac.

“But we will of course spend what we need to spend in order to ensure that our buildings are safe for those that use them.”

[6 September 2023 11:57 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

List with confirmed Raac- part one

The Department for Education has published a list of the schools and colleges in England affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

Here are the first 50:

1.       Myatt Garden Primary School

2.       Seven Mills Primary School

3.       The Ellen Wilkinson School for Girls

4.       St Ignatius College

5.       Welbourne Primary School

6.       St John Vianney RC Primary School

7.       Hornsey School for Girls

8.       Brandhall Primary School

9.       St William of York Catholic Primary School

10.   St Andrew’s CofE Primary School, Over Hulton

11.   All Saints C of E Primary School

12.   Abbey Lane Primary School

13.   Pippins School

14.   Stanway Fiveways Primary School

15.   Baynards Primary School

16.   Great Leighs Primary School

17.   Henham and Ugley Primary and Nursery School

18.   Bentfield Primary School and Nursery

19.   White Court School

20.   Beehive Lane Community Primary School

21.   Eversley Primary School

22.   Holy Trinity CofE Primary School, Eight Ash Green and Aldham

23.   St Lawrence Church of England Primary School, Rowhedge

24.   Great Tey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

25.   Hatfield Peverel St Andrew’s Junior School

26.   Broomfield Primary School

27.   Mersea Island School

28.   Cranbourne

29.   Markyate Village School and Nursery

30.   Widford School

31.   Palmarsh Primary School

32.   Birchington Church of England Primary School

33.   St James’ Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

34.   St Bartholomew’s Catholic Primary School, Swanley

35.   Bispham Endowed Church of England Primary School

36.   Our Lady’s Catholic High School

37.   Mayflower Primary School

38.   Parks Primary School

39.   Donnington Wood Infant School and Nursery Centre

40.   Thurston Community College

41.   Shawfield Primary School

42.   St Paul’s Catholic Primary School, Thames Ditton

43.   Petroc

44.   Park View School

45.   Springfield Primary School

46.   Outwoods Primary School

47.   Denbigh School

48.   Sale Grammar School

49.   The Appleton School

50.   King Ethelbert School

[6 September 2023 12:02 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

Continued list of schools affected by Raac

·       Holcombe Grammar School

·       The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School

·       Wood Green Academy

·       The Honywood Community Science School

·       The Billericay School

·       Aston Manor Academy

·       Hadleigh High School

·       The Palmer Catholic Academy

·       The London Oratory School

·       Tendring Technology College

·       East Bergholt High School

·       Hounsdown School

·       Thurstable School Sports College and Sixth Form Centre

·       Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School

·       Waddesdon Church of England School

·       Wallingford School

·       Woodkirk Academy

·       Batley Girls High School

·       St Clere’s School

·       Sandbach School

·       Carmel College

·       Anglo European School

·       St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon

·       The Gilberd School

·       The Thomas Lord Audley School

·       St Helena School

·       East Tilbury Primary School

·       Clacton County High School

·       White Hall Academy and Nursery

·       Altrincham College

·       Cleeve Park School

·       Joyce Frankland Academy, Newport

·       Danetree Primary School

·       The Bromfords School

·       Royal College Manchester (Seashell Trust)

·       The Ramsey Academy, Halstead

·       Redhill School

·       Ark Boulton Academy

·       Woodville Primary School

·       Holy Trinity Catholic Voluntary Academy

·       Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy

·       Water Lane Primary Academy

·       Katherine Semar Junior School

·       Katherine Semar Infant School

·       Mistley Norman Church of England Primary School

·       Hatfield Heath Primary School

·       St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive School

·       Godinton Primary School

·       St Francis Catholic Primary School, South Ascot

·       The FitzWimarc School

[6 September 2023 12:03 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

List of schools affected by Raac - continued

·       Winter Gardens Academy

·       Cherry Tree Academy

·       Prince Albert Junior and Infant School

·       Cockermouth School

·       Northampton International Academy

·       St Gregory’s Catholic Science College

·       Bishop Douglass School Finchley

·       Lubbins Park Primary Academy

·       Scalby School

·       Arthur Bugler Primary School

·       St Leonard’s Catholic School, Durham

·       Canon Slade School

·       Claydon High School

·       Harlowbury Primary School

·       Kingsdown School

·       Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery

·       Sir Thomas Boughey Academy

·       Harwich and Dovercourt High School

·       Ferryhill School

·       Wyburns Primary School

·       Jerounds Primary Academy

·       Roding Valley High School

·       Lambourne Primary School

·       Hillhouse CofE Primary School

·       Barnes Farm Junior School

·       St Elizabeth’s Catholic Voluntary Academy

·       Hockley Primary School

·       Chipping Ongar Primary School

·       Langney Primary Academy

·       St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School

·       St Mary and St John Junior and Infant School

·       St John Catholic Primary School

·       St Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green

·       St Francis’ Catholic Primary School

·       Buckhurst Hill Community Primary School

·       Sunny Bank Primary School

·       St Benet’s Catholic Primary School, Ouston

·       St Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College

·       St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School

·       Wells Park School

·       St James’ Catholic Primary School, Hebburn

·       St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Town End Farm, Sunderland

·       St Columba’s Catholic Primary School, Wallsend

·       St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, West Denton

·       The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy

·       St Michael’s Catholic School

·       Elmstead Primary School

[6 September 2023 12:04 · Maryam Zakir-Hussain]

PMQs begins

The first PMQs in seven weeks has now begun. Stay tuned as we update you with the latest from parliament as Rishi Sunak is grilled about the concrete crisis in schools.