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Original poster

School closures due to crumbling concrete

284 replies

HoliHormonalTigerLillyTheSecond · 01/09/2023 06:02

JFC you are kidding me?!

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/31/english-schools-told-to-close-buildings-made-with-crumble-risk-concrete]

OP posts:
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24
OhYouBadBadKitten · 02/09/2023 17:53

I was thinking about the cladding situation and how many people are stuck in unsellable flats because they can't afford, or are not able to sort out the dangerous cladding situation on their building. This is 6 whole years after Grenfell. How are we to believe that timely action will happen for all these buildings affected by RAAC, given the years of ignoring the issue? Government concern will last a few news cycles, then we will move on to the next crisis, while kids are stuck in marquees and temporary classrooms and hospitals crumble to the ground.

TheThinkingGoblin · 02/09/2023 20:09

noblegiraffe · 01/09/2023 23:58

"It’s worth pausing on these two dryly written sentences: “Since summer 2021, DfE has assessed the threat to safety in school buildings as a critical risk. It does not consider its existing mitigations as sufficient to bring the likelihood of this risk materialising down to acceptable levels.”
This is an extraordinary situation to be in.

The DfE are well aware that there has been a dramatic underinvestment in buildings. At the last Spending Review, it asked for £7 billion a year to try to recover the situation. They got £3 billion.
Repeatedly, the Treasury has refused to take this issue seriously enough letting school infrastructure deteriorate to secure short-term savings at high long-term costs; the longer these buildings are left, the harder they will be to repair.
It’s exactly the same situation in the NHS and other parts of the public sector.

One of the core problems of the British state is serial underinvestment in infrastructure."

Sam Freedman article, June 2023 https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/labour-private-school-tax-fix-crumbling-school-buildings

Would other governments have ignored the public sector so thoroughly? It's hard to imagine. We know that the Tory Treasury has a massive problem with short term thinking.

Agreed that this had been a well known risk for years.

Now the whistleblowers are talking.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/sep/02/ministers-were-dangerously-complacent-on-school-safety-whistleblower-reveals

Ministers were ‘dangerously complacent’ on school safety, whistleblower reveals

Senior civil servant says ‘many alerts’ crossed education secretary’s desk, but UK government was more concerned with saving money

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/sep/02/ministers-were-dangerously-complacent-on-school-safety-whistleblower-reveals

mumwon · 02/09/2023 22:11

If no one has mentioned it - colleges and universities, factories ad as pp said social housing, In our town there are several types of non standard construction council houses .... there was a scandal some time back about those houses with concrete cancer, as they called it, and than those with iron supports imbedded into the structure that rusted away. I read somewhere that there is actually 500 schools that may have these structures - I think the government isnt being forthcoming because there is far more than a hundred

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mumwon · 02/09/2023 22:11

?

VikingVolva · 03/09/2023 07:03

If the Governments funds repairs to schools now, and starts a rolling programme of requiring examination of all buildings built from the 1950s to the 1990s with a commitment to pay for the fixing of all those in public use (schools, nurseries, hospitals, plus libraries, leisure centres etc, plus grants for affected homes) then, with cynicism to the fore, that will be a brilliant move.

It would mean that everyone said they finally did the right thing on something. They'll still lose the next election, but the level of spending that the next government will be unable to escape will mean any other spending plans they might have will be utterly in disarray and they'll be a single-term administration.

Duechristmas · 03/09/2023 07:39

YellowChrysnthemum · 01/09/2023 08:10

Tories scrapped the school building renewal programme in 2010. This is not new - it's just another fuckup caused by an incompetent and self centred government who only care about feathering their own nests unless there is no alternative.

This!
Then a roof collapsed over the summer and now they're panicking.
It's blatant mismanagement of assets.

Piggywaspushed · 03/09/2023 07:44

bellamountain · 01/09/2023 21:07

In this case, all private schools in the area of these schools should be made to loan out their facilities for teaching. If they don't have the room, they can provide marquees or gyms.

Just dumping this on every thread I see where this is trotted out. Don't assume private schools don't have RAAC...

Rolypops · 03/09/2023 07:50

I have three DC's at three different schools. Two of which are 1950s and look identical to another school in our area that has closed due to the discovery of Raac. Are we as parents now being expected to send our children into buildings which may be at risk of collapse? Children could quite literally die! In what other scenario would we willingly send out kids into an unstable building? Mine are supposed to go back in three days and not a word!

TheAloe · 03/09/2023 10:00

@mumwon

I live in a tin house (as we call them). I personally think they’re dodgy. They need knocking down (BISF house). It’s a council house.

Vicliz24 · 03/09/2023 10:05

HoliHormonalTigerLillyTheSecond · 01/09/2023 07:57

Why on EARTH are they just dealing with this at the beginning of term?! They must have known about it for years.

This

NinaGM · 03/09/2023 10:16

BelieveThemtheFirstTime · 02/09/2023 15:45

I haven’t RTFT, so apologies if a list has already been shared.

Full list of schools affected so far (Source: LBC via the globalplayer app. Posted today at 14:16)

  • Abbey Lane Primary School, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
  • Arthur Bugler Primary School, Standford-le-Hope,Thurrock
  • The Appleton School, Essex
  • The Billericay School, Billericay, Essex
  • Buckhurst Hill Community Primary School, Essex
  • Canon Slade School, Bolton, Greater Manchester
  • Carmel College and Sixth Form, Darlington, County Durham
  • Clacton County High School, Clacton, Essex
  • Claydon High School, Ipswich, Suffolk
  • Cleeve Park School, Sidcup
  • Cockermouth School, Cockermouth, Cumbria
  • The Coopers' Company and Coburn School, Essex
  • Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School, Brixton, London
  • Cranbourne College, Basingstoke, Hampshire
  • Crossflatts Primary School, Bradford, West Yorkshire
  • Donnington Wood Infants School, Donnington, Telford, Shropshire
  • East Bergholt High School, Colchester, Essex
  • Eldwick Primary School, Bradford, West Yorkshire
  • The Ellen Wilkinson School, London
  • Farlingaye High School, Woodbridge, Suffolk
  • Fulwood Secondary, Preston, Lancashire
  • Ferryhill School, a secondary in County Durham
  • The Gilberd School, Colchester, Essex
  • Greenway Junior School, Horsham
  • Hadleigh High School, Hadleigh, Suffolk
  • Hatfield Peverel Junior School, Chelmsford, Essex
  • Hockley Primary School, Hockley, Essex
  • Holy Trinity Catholic Academy, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
  • Honywood School, Colchester, Essex
  • Jerounds Primary School in Harlow, Essex
  • Katherines Primary Academy, Harlow, Essex
  • Kingsdown School, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
  • Mayflower Primary School, Leicester, Leicestershire
  • Myton School, Warwick, Warwickshire
  • Northampton International Academy
  • Our Lady's Catholic High School, Preston, Lancashire
  • Outwoods Primary School, Atherstone, North Warwickshire
  • Parks Primary, Leicester, Leicestershire
  • Pershore High School, Worcestershire
  • Ramsey Academy, Halstead, Essex
  • Ravens Academy, Clacton-On-Sea, Essex
  • Scalby School, Scarborough
  • St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, Kent
  • St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, County Durham
  • St Clere's School, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex
  • St Gregory's Catholic Science College, Harrow, London
  • St James Catholic Primary School, Hebburn, Tyne and Wear
  • St Leonard's School, Durham, County Durham
  • St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Darlington, County Durham
  • St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive, Eltham, London
  • Tendring Technology College, Frinton Campus, Essex
  • Thomas Lord Audley School, Colchester, Essex
  • Thurstable school and sixth form, Essex
  • White Hall Academy primary, Clacton, Essex
  • Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy, Leicester, Leicestershire
  • Winter Gardens Academy, Canvey Island, Essex
  • Wood Green Academy, Wednesbury, West Midlands
  • Woodville Primary School, South Woodham Ferrers, Chelmsford, Essex
  • Wyburns Primary School, Rayleigh, Essex

The schools list is increasing all the time. I know of at least three additional to this.

SnowWhiteAndTheTwoKids · 03/09/2023 10:41

Could you imagine how much compensation would need to be paid out if a roof fell on a classroom full of children?

WhiteFire · 03/09/2023 10:50

TheAloe · 03/09/2023 10:00

@mumwon

I live in a tin house (as we call them). I personally think they’re dodgy. They need knocking down (BISF house). It’s a council house.

A lot of these were sold under RTB, these could be the next lot of unmortgatable properties.

stilldumdedumming · 03/09/2023 10:58

For those that have mentioned that this must affect other building of the era- one on the list NIA Northampton was actually remodelled from the original Royal Mail sorting office around 8 years ago. So presumably it's the original Royal Mail structure that's the problem. It can't possibly just be schools.

Piggywaspushed · 03/09/2023 11:04

SnowWhiteAndTheTwoKids · 03/09/2023 10:41

Could you imagine how much compensation would need to be paid out if a roof fell on a classroom full of children?

Already happened in a private school. Will try to find story.

Piggywaspushed · 03/09/2023 11:07

www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/29/independent-rosemead-school-fined-80000-over-classroom-ceiling-collapse

Here you go. Potentially different reasons ( although who knows. Perhaps this was RAAC) . A fine rather than compensation.

Piggywaspushed · 03/09/2023 11:07

Sorry, cross post!

CupOfCoffeePlease · 03/09/2023 11:14

From that list most are in Essex. None in Devon or Dorset... presumably they're going to be added to or just don't know yet?!

Anywherebuthere · 03/09/2023 11:21

Dragonsandcats · 01/09/2023 09:40

I’ve a kid going into Y11 next week, I’m so worried his school will shut. How much more crap is this Y11/y12/y13 cohort expected to take.

How much crap are any of the years expected to take. Many people go on about those in Yr 11 onwards.

But covid had a huge negative impact on the younger ones from Reception onwards too. They lost a lot of learning that takes place in the early years and teachers are unable to bring them up to the levels they need to be at because there isnt enough time in the year to fill in the gaps.

TheAloe · 03/09/2023 15:25

@WhiteFire

Possibly. I would never buy it. But I do love it. It’s very spacious and my garden is huge. Great council house.

SquirrelFeeder · 03/09/2023 15:56

I saw a newspaper in Sainsbury's this morning saying 7,000 more schools to follow Confused

EffortlessDesmond · 03/09/2023 17:47

There are probably a lot to be announced. It's almost inevitable. Rebuilding the nation's infrastructure in the most densely populated areas is probably closely correlated to where most bombs fell in WW2. A nation with depleted reserves took the cheapest approach to renewal. And then successive governments failed to replace functioning busy occupied essential infrastructure. This particular chicken has come home to roost at a low point in the economic cycle. It's easy for me to write, but if I was the person having to think through a workable safe solution, and how to fund it, I am fairly sure I'd be on the brink of breakdown.

TheThinkingGoblin · 03/09/2023 17:52

EffortlessDesmond · 03/09/2023 17:47

There are probably a lot to be announced. It's almost inevitable. Rebuilding the nation's infrastructure in the most densely populated areas is probably closely correlated to where most bombs fell in WW2. A nation with depleted reserves took the cheapest approach to renewal. And then successive governments failed to replace functioning busy occupied essential infrastructure. This particular chicken has come home to roost at a low point in the economic cycle. It's easy for me to write, but if I was the person having to think through a workable safe solution, and how to fund it, I am fairly sure I'd be on the brink of breakdown.

The "time" to have made serious investments into the public infrastructure was when interest rates were near 0% and the projects paid for themselves over time.

They had 10 years of low rates to do it.

They have failed miserably on all counts.

A GE cannot come soon enough.

JenniferBooth · 03/09/2023 18:06

Why didnt they do something during the lockdowns when schools were closed?