Concrete in schools

[lemonyaid]

How have they only just now decided to close the buildings until they are safe? Has someone been injured?

This is per the Government

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-guidance-for-schools-impacted-by-raac

"An abundance of caution" 😒

Oh and she should have got someone to prof that before it was published (this is not about FE settings (although includes some iirc)

*proof, lol!

Remember Labour's Building Schools for the Future programme, a massive investment into improving school buildings that started in the mid 2000s and was immediately shut down by the 2010 government? It was one of the first things they did when they took office.

All our schools answered last year - we didn't have any. Most of ours were built using a local design brief in the 60s/70s and didn't have RAAC.

If the government failed to chase for answers from those that hadn't answered, then that's even worse, given that they knew of the dangers and risk of RAAC for years.

@lavenderlou yes, I remember. It was Gove and his evil side kick Cummings.

Harrow Crown Court has been closed due to aerated concrete used in it's construction. Not just schools and hospitals.

I saw this on the news probably 12 months ago.

Fucks me right off, school buildings are not fit for purpose (some not all). Why the hell no one steps in and does anything I do not know.

Many schools are old and falling down and were never built to accommodate the amount the children.

Like, within days. The school I worked in at the time had its funding pulled less than a fortnight into the coalition. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that that- 1960s built- school (which was falling apart 13 years ago!) is impacted by this.

So these fuckers don’t invest in public services for 13 years and look what happens? Pricks.

Doesn't surprise me to hear that at all.

hospitals also affected but are left to cope

I noticed last week that a school near me is covered n plastic - seemed so odd as it’s the end of the holidays. Perhaps they have impacted by the concrete issue.

Hospitals have been prioritised over schools...

"The rebuilding of five hospitals with “significant” amounts of RAAC is to be prioritised “given the risks they pose to patients and staff”.
Two affected hospitals have been named, with the reprioritisation delaying completion of “up to” eight other projects until after 2030.
Sources in schools expecting rebuilds reported slow progress, but said that wasn’t unusual for big government projects.
Barran was non-committal on whether remediation work would delay other capital projects, such as through the government’s flagship 10-year school rebuilding programme."

The material at the centre of all of this, RAAC - Reinforced Autoclaved Aeriated Concrete - is a lightweight concrete that was used in roofs, floors and walls between the 1950s and 1990s.

So we're meant to send our kids to school not knowing if the buildings going to collapse?

Just heard this on the radio driving home. Not aware of RAAC before and I struggled to follow the reporting since it sounds like a total shit show in terms of timing for schools.

The other thing that seemed curious is at risk hospitals aren’t closing as they have ‘adequate monitoring systems in place’. Eh? So many questions.

My school burned down and I was in portacabins for 2 years of primary, not a good experience.

I'd totally forgotten about that. Locally ir was going to give a good potential boost.

I don't think I'd feel comfortable sending my kid to school when the ceiling is being "propped up" with reinforcement.

or being admitted to hospital?

Googled to see what it is.

Using that was a bad idea. They didn’t know at the time, I assume, but still what a mistake.

Yup

Let's be clear though that that is again after huge delays - this has been in the public domain since 2019 as a starting point, and even in those instances (where there is an entire hospital which will serve 400,000 people) they still aren't realistically going to be finishing rebuilds for a decade plus. They are saying they'll be done by 2030 but half of them don't even have sites as far as I'm aware. There are 4 affected hospitals I know of just in the East of England.

The school's situation is dreadful, but let's not pretend that the hospital situation is really better.

So my understanding is that a lot of the hospitals are essentially permanently scaffolded inside them to reduce the risk to people. See link below.

https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/nhs-trusts-need-hundreds-of-millions-to-stop-hospitals-ceilings-collapsing-10-10-2022/

They then have a regular review and monitoring programme.

If you shut an entire district general hospital (like King's Lynn as referenced there) you'd have to find beds for 500 patients. Moving them, plus cancelling operations and outpatient appointments would probably result in more harm than even a relatively high risk of some kind of collapse.

It's dreadful, and it needs dealing with both in hospitals and in schools, but I do understand why the hospitals aren't being closed.

The school's situation is dreadful, but let's not pretend that the hospital situation is really better.

I didn't, I just pointed out that hospitals weren't simply 'being left to cope'.