Nick Gibb: I would let my family sit under propped-up concrete ceilings

The schools minister said the government was taking a precautionary approach to the problem.

Schools minister Nick Gibb has said the government is on top of the issue of Raac in schools (Victoria Jones/PA) (PA Wire)

A schools minister has said he would be happy for his nieces and nephews to sit under a classroom ceiling propped up by beams to keep it standing.

Nick Gibb’s comments came as more than 150 schools in England have been identified as having a type of concrete prone to collapse, with many now closing buildings or classrooms to make them safe.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) is a building material used in the latter half of the 20th century, but is now assessed to be at risk of collapse.

Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari programme, Mr Gibb expressed his confidence in the precautionary measures being taken to ensure the safety of students in schools affected.

Some of the measures include schools having their ceilings propped up with steel girders.

Asked if he would be happy to see his young nieces and nephews to sit in a classroom under a ceiling propped up by a steel girder, Mr Gibb said: “Yes, because we’re taking a very precautionary approach.

“Some say we are being overcautious in dealing with this. But the advice is you can prop up these beams. Where they are in a more dangerous condition, of course, we take that room out of use altogether.

“And that’s the work that’s happening with a case worker, with support from the department, in those 156 schools, and we continue to work to identify Raac throughout the school system.

Some say we are being overcautious in dealing with this. But the advice is you can prop up these beams. Where they are in a more dangerous condition, of course, we take that room out of use altogether

Nick Gibb, schools minister

“There’s no country in the world where you can be as assured, as in this country, that you have a government that is on top of this issue and is doing everything to identify where Raac is and take action when we think it is unsafe for pupils.”

Mr Gibb had earlier revealed that the collapse over the summer of a beam that had been considered safe sparked an urgent rethink on whether buildings with the aerated concrete could remain open.

Commenting on Mr Gibb’s claims, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Children sat underneath steel girders to protect them from the ceiling falling in – the defining image of 13 years of a Conservative-run education system.

“You can’t give children a first class education in second-rate buildings.

“The next Labour government will ensure schools are fit for purpose and children are safe.”

The Government has found out that out of the 156 schools in England using Raac materials, only 52 have implemented precautions to mitigate potential risks, including structural collapse.

In response, the Department for Education (DfE) has issued a directive to these schools, instructing them to promptly close buildings constructed with Raac.

Though not confirmed, it is estimated that about 24 schools in England have been told to close entirely because of the presence of Raac, the PA news agency understands.