UK government promises to cover costs of emergency school closures

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The UK government has pledged to cover the cost of the emergency closure of more than 150 schools in England due to the use of collapse-prone lightweight concrete.

On Friday, Schools Minister Nick Gibb sought to allay concerns raised by some local authorities and teachers’ unions that they would face tens of thousands of pounds in costs for relocating pupils and installing temporary accommodation.

“We are paying the costs. So if in the worst case scenario schools do have to close and we put Portakabins on site, all the costs will be borne by the Ministry of Education,” Gibb told BBC Radio 4.

His pledge comes as councils scramble to find alternatives for children affected by the closure, which was announced two working days before the school year starts next Monday.

On Thursday, the government told 104 schools across England that any fields constructed of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), a lightweight material used between the 1950s and the mid-1990s, “should not reopen”.

The education department said as many as 150 English-language schools were at risk, but has yet to release a list of affected schools, arguing that principals need time to contact parents directly.

Scotland confirmed it was also assessing the extent of Raac in its schools; figures obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats this year showed it was present in at least 37 schools. The Welsh Government said they were still investigating the presence of Lark at the school.

In England, schools built using Raac have been found in Durham, Bradford, Leicestershire, South London and Southend-on-Sea in Essex.

Tony Ball, head of education at Essex County Council, said the county was one of the worst affected, with three schools in the county without contingency plans.

Southend-on-Sea Council said it had closed the main building of Kingsdown School for special needs children following government advice.

The council added that it was working to find a way to partially open the school premises, but the “vital equipment” some students needed to study was in closed buildings.

“Instead of being ready to welcome students back into the classroom, we had to call parents and have very difficult conversations about the fact that schools will be closed next week,” principal Louise Robinson said.

Gibb said ministers were forced to close school buildings just days before the start of the new term after it was discovered “over the summer” that concrete that surveyors had previously judged did not require urgent repairs was in fact potentially dangerous.

The action was prompted by the collapse of a concrete beam at a school and “no external indication” of serious danger, he added.

In June, the National Audit Office said in a report that an audit had confirmed the presence of Raac in 65 schools in England, 24 of which required “immediate action”, compared to some 14,900 schools built between 1930 and 1990. .

Gibb said Friday that before Thursday’s announcement, 52 schools had been determined to be in critical condition in Lak, bringing the number of schools affected to 104.

The government’s plan to rebuild or refurbish 500 schools and most urgently needed buildings is already behind schedule, a report from Britain’s public spending watchdog has warned.

Only 24 contracts had been awarded by March 2023, compared with the government’s initial forecast of 83, the report said, noting that the delay was partly due to the impact of inflation on construction costs.

Shadow education secretary Bridget Philipson criticized the government’s record on school maintenance, saying: “You can’t give children a first-class education in a second-rate building.”

The teaching unions also welcomed Gibb’s pledge to cover the cost of managing the disruptions associated with Lark, but demanded specific commitments from the government.

“The current guidance should not be interpreted. There should be no cost to existing school budgets,” said Daniel Kebede, secretary general of the National Education Union.