This government cares about the safety of schools, hence the action taken

[noblegiraffe]

Says the government as they close 100 schools just before term starts (or after in some cases).

If this is your first rodeo with the DfE you might be surprised to hear that they've known about the issue for years. That a school ceiling collapsed in 2018 and it was only because it happened at the weekend, kids weren't killed or injured. That reports put the risk of school collapse as 'critical', but the govt did nothing for 5 years. The risk of school collapse was raised to 'highly likely' in Dec 2022 and it took till March 2023 for the government to take the action of.... sending headteachers a questionnaire asking if they reckoned their school had RAAC. They then set up a call centre in June 2023 to phone schools asking why they hadn't completed the survey.
Fastforward to August and schools are being closed.

You might consider this an aberration. Schools are now safe. But.

Schools are still being built with Grenfell-style cladding. It's ok for schools. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/may/30/dozens-of-new-school-buildings-in-england-have-combustible-insulation

Schools aren't being fitted with sprinklers, going against fire safety advice https://www.nationalfirechiefs.org.uk/write/MediaUploads/Position%20statements/Protection/NFCC_Sprinklers_schools_position_statement_march_2018.pdf

The issue of asbestos which is present in over 80% of schools is becoming increasingly pressing. It's ok if asbestos is managed correctly, right? https://schoolsweek.co.uk/nearly-1-in-5-schools-not-in-line-with-guidance-on-managing-asbestos/ Asbestos is ok if left undisturbed, but with school buildings crumbling and falling apart, this means that previously 'safe' asbestos now poses a risk.
The HSE has become so concerned that in Sept 2022 it decided to start inspections of schools for asbestos management. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKHSE/bulletins/3204596 you might have thought that they did this already?

The government recently hired a contractor to build several new schools which have been unable to open due to safety concerns and some have now been demolished. There was a risk of them blowing away in high winds....but they were cheap. https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2023/08/24/caledonian-modular-built-schools-at-risk-of-collapse-in-high-winds/

The cost of repairing the school estate to a merely satisfactory standard has been estimated by the DfE itself as £11.4bn. Nowhere near this has been allocated, meaning schools are not at a satisfactory standard and are not planned to be. https://schoolsweek.co.uk/repairing-englands-schools-will-cost-11-4-billion-dfe-admits/

It only matters if it closes schools though, right?

She may be comparing herself to the rest of the cabinet, and with Ben Wallace having left, feel as though she is above average in intelligence and competence, which she may well be.

By most normal measures though she is doing a bloody awful job.

So Sunak refused to rebuild the schools when chancellor, even when there was a critical risk to life. Fuck this government honestly. It could have been any kid killed - mine or yours

But not his. Which is the important thing here.

It is more about having reasonable ongoing investment all the time. Which the Tories did not do. So cuts to Education and the Buildings were a big mistake. That is the future of the country, Education. Obviously we were sold it was a post financial crisis move. However, doing it 10-20 years late actually ends up costing far more. Not just because of labour and supply of materials issues, also inflation now. So it was a completely false economy. I really hope the Labour Party really do put Education first, in a real sense, rather than selling us the white elephant of taxing private schools. As if that is going to address the real issues.

https://ifs.org.uk/articles/decline-spending-school-buildings

“The current focus is on the risks posed by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), particularly that in ceilings, roofs and walls. However, it is important to state that this is not the only, nor the largest, area of need in terms of school repairs. As reported by the NAO, the DfE also recognises the safety risks posed by asbestos (contained within 80% of schools responding to a DfE survey) and system-built school buildings (particularly 3,600 school blocks with timber or concrete frames, which are more susceptible to deterioration and hidden structural defects).
Furthermore, ceilings, roofs and walls are not even the largest areas of need reported by the NAO. According to the NAO, the largest areas of need are electrical services (£2.5 billion to fix) and mechanical services, such as heating and ventilation (£2.1 billion to fix).
Spending on school buildings is low in historical terms and low compared with levels of need. This is the view of both the independent National Audit Office and the Department for Education itself. The current crisis illustrates just how costly failing to keep on top of necessary investment in buildings and infrastructure can be.”

I just saw that piece and was agog! I think she wants a medal. Honestly these politicians are in cuckooland.

Yes totally false economy. The state of many of these school buildings is dire. My primary had temporary mobile classrooms installed when I was there 40 plus years ago to cope with additional pupil numbers. They were flimsy, damp, cold in winter, boiling in summer. Those bastard buildings are still there and still in use.

I am really not looking forward to meeting my brand new classes this week in my boiling classroom. It's going to be awful.

And I had kids wearing coats in my lessons in the winter.

Half of the year it is hard to concentrate because of the temperature. The building isn't fit for purpose even though it's RAAC-free.

Parents really shouldn't think that schools being confirmed RAAC-free means they're fine.

Its almost as though teachers who said schools were not fit for purpose during covid were right.

Amazing.

Do not get me started on that.

Like that, it took schools closing for people to pay any attention.

I see they are now talking of degree of possible collapse, this is our children's lives they are reducing to a risk degree, if there is any risk the whole school should be closed, remedial works should be carried out, or the building razed.

Absolutely. The court house building near us was closed with immediate effect. Schools as usual are left to wing it or patch and shore up job.

The action taken by this government shows you very clearly how much they care about our children's schools.

They were told there was a critical risk to life in 2018!

Does anybody know when the list is coming out and if it is comprehensive or just the most dangerous schools in most urgent need?

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/nick-gibb-cabinet-prime-minister-rishi-sunak-downing-street-b2405068.html

Thank you @978q

Two paragraphs stood out to me:

just four schools have been rebuilt so far under the programme to overhaul 500 sites by 2030 that Mr Sunak has used in his defence in recent days.

+The school rebuilding programme has completed four sites so far, the DfE said, but officials expected the pace to pick up by the end of the decade.*

Excuse all caps but the plan is that

THEY'LL HAVE DONE MORE THAN FOUR (4!) BY THE END OF THE DECADE! ?!

Based on the 300-400 a year that needed to be done in 2018 because of a critical risk to life there are probably thousands of schools that need doing now if they've only finished 4!

4!

Don't see how you can blame Labour for this. They had a plan in place and had already fixed some schools. The tories stopped all that, saying it was a waste of money.

Meanwhile Sunak's sent his 12 year old to boarding school.

Of course.

Only our kids go to these schools.

And the Tories don't care about our kids.

Is there no health and safety in our country any more?

People say "Health and safety gone mad" but this is health and safety gone missing.

The Bbc were interviewing a head teacher from a affected school and he looking for marquee's to teach in, how is even a possibility to teach in what is a large tent as he can not get any portacabins.

And as for the quote from Keegan he summed it up really well be saying we are all human and have made statements that we probably shouldn't have. He then said when he cooks his wife a meal he normally waits to the meals cooked and eaten before looking for compliments and perhaps after she's done something then maybe we would give her a compliment.

SusiePevensie
Don't see how you can blame Labour for this. They had a plan in place and had already fixed some schools. The tories stopped all that, saying it was a waste of money.

Do you know why Labour didn't plan to reinstate their £55 billion school rebuilding plan in 2015? Strangely missing from their election manifesto;

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/13/labour-election-manifesto-key-points

Will Labour reinstate the school rebuilding plan now? Perhaps not;

The opposition has pledged to spend £28 billion a year on its Green Prosperity Plan, but this could leave little extra money for rebuilding schools.

“The additional investment promised by Labour is all earmarked for ‘green’ projects which support the UK’s transition to net zero. This implies that even under Labour, non-green investment would be frozen in cash terms.

Jonathan Ashworth, who was made shadow paymaster general in Monday’s reshuffle, declined to say whether Labour would introduce a broader school rebuilding programme if it wins the next election when asked by Sky News on Tuesday.

https://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/labour-plans-will-boost-investment-but-could-squeeze-money-for-new-schools-ifs-b1104934.html

@SusiePevensie not defending any politicians but some private schools will be impacted by this building material too

I do keep saying this!

It's just not in the press....