Schools with RAAC - what’s yours doing?

[RAACwoes]

Just thought I’d start a thread for those of us whose DC go to a school affected by RAAC.

My teenagers go to a secondary where one of the buildings is affected, meaning 20 classrooms and the canteen are now out of use.

They are implementing a rota where Yrs 8 & 10 will be home-learning one week, Yrs 9 & 12 the next. Both of mine fall into these years so will have a DC home-schooling at all times (and both of mine struggle with it).

Many are saying that this could be the case well into 2024.

one of the local primaries is affected and have not yet opened for the new term. Yrs 4 & 5 are going to be accommodated at a different school in the area.

Our school is still closed. No end in sight. No portacabins. No online learning. Our children are being terribly let down. Why is nothing being done? Why is this not in the news?

It’s because no one gives a shit about them. Labour like scoring political points but once that’s been done they move onto the next thing.

My daughter also hasn’t been in school since July either, it’s shocking.

How is any of this the responsibility of the party that isn't in power, hasn't been in power for 14 years, and was fixing this the last time they were in power but the Tories closed the programme down @Teateaandmoretea?

The SNP?

Labour weren’t ‘fixing it’. They had a school building program that may have overlapped with RAAC but wasn’t a scheme to fix it. How many RAAC schools had labour actually fixed during their time in power? Saying you would have done something if only you hadn’t been voted out of power doesn’t count.

I didn’t say it was - I said no one gives a shit about it.

Tbh that includes you - just jumping in to make it immediately about politics. As an affected parent I want resolution and my children to get an acceptable level of education.

But Labour are literally silent about it, including my own useless MP.

Are you joking??
https://ifs.org.uk/articles/decline-spending-school-buildings

They ALL would have bene rebuilt or refurbished if we'd stayed with Labour. No they weren't specifically targeting the minority of RAAC schools, in fact all of the schools falling down for other reasons would have benefited too!

This is relevant or helps how exactly?

I voted Labour and have a useless Labour MP. Our children are not getting educated which is a human right.

History lessons are helping no one who is affected by this.

Why are Labour silent about it?

• didn’t say it was - I said no one gives a shit about it.

Tbh that includes you - just jumping in to make it immediately about politics. As an affected parent I want resolution and my children to get an acceptable level of education.

But Labour are literally silent about it, including my own useless MP.*

Haven't Labour raised it in Parliament like 100 times? And Bridget Phillipson brought it up in Parliament about five days ago didn't she?

And I haven't jumped in and made it immediately about politics. This is about my fifth post.

But as an affected parent I think it's important to be acquainted with the facts and the history and to hold the people who are responsible for it, responsible for it.

Not whinge about the people who were fixing it from 2004 to 2010 until we were stupid enough to elect the Tories.

‘Whinging’ nice.

Seriously jog on and when you get there keep jogging.

And honestly @Teateaandmoretea

I think you brought up politics not me.

It’s because no one gives a shit about them. Labour like scoring political points but once that’s been done they move onto the next thing.

i have a child who is out of education and I have every right to be angry about that and my MP’s lack of action. Unaffected people just trying to score political points I have no patience with at all.

What is it you think your MP can do about it that they haven't already done?

And why do you think I'm unaffected?

And why aren't you angry with the Tories who put you in this situation? @Teateaandmoretea

Look keep jogging. I want action from someone NOW. I’m out of this thread, it was meant to be supportive for people in this boat. I have enough on my plate without arguing with daft political bots.

What do you want politicians to do? Are there not builders in?

@noblegiraffe there are 2 schools in my area seriously affected by RAAC. There are no builders in sight. No portacabins and in one of the schools zero online learning. 1000s of children getting NO education. And no one seems to care.

It's an absolute disgrace that nothing is being done to get these school ls up and running.

Lots of head shaking, arguing about who's responsible and nothing being done.

At my child's school there are pupils in GCSE years getting nothing but a worksheet to work on by themselves at home. And that's if there're lucky enough to have a laptop and internet at home. Some children are trying to do lessons in their phones because they don't have anything else.

And yet there's nothing in the news... no signs of any support and 1000s of children falling further and further behind.

It's like we're in lockdown... but worse as we're on our own. Parents are trying to juggle work, homeschooling and demotivated children. I can't tell you how much of a shit-show this is! And yet STILL no word from the government about what they're actually going to DO!

Same here. My eldest's school has RAAC which is unsurveyed as yet because builders discovered and exposed asbestos over summer.

They have less than 20 rooms to try and accommodate all 7 years.

Apparently there's portacabins on the way but even then school will be part time.

Nobody has a clue if or when the kids might be back in properly. It's a nightmare as mine is doing GCSEs. The other local secondary school is also part closed with RAAC and all others are full, unless I can magic up £15000 a year for private.

This issue was ignored by decades of government who could ALL see the fact the building were at end of life but carried on kicking the can down the road and here we are.

The level of support has been awful, it's like being in your own private lockdown.

@noblegiraffe I want politicians to stop pointing the finger at each other and get a financial package together NOW to support schools that are being horrendously affected.

It isn't right or fair to have children receiving zero teaching. How do they stand any chance of getting good grades for their GCSEs with no teaching and the only prospect of getting any teaching is by being in a portacabin at some point after Christmas?

No access to science labs, media suites, DT... home economics... not really a fair playing field is it?!

Have you taken this up with those responsible for their education - the local council?!

Apparently there are only 8 firms in the country that have the expertise to deal with this. It’s exacerbated by the fact that schools with RAAC also often have asbestos which requires other specialists . There is no quick solution .

There are only 8 surveyors checking the 8000 schools that may or not have RAAC.

Any one of them could collapse tomorrow and our government is taking 18 months to survey them.

No rush.

@IWillNoLie I've tried everything I can think of. Local radio. National radio. Governors. Council, MP... no action. It's appalling.

The only people who can actually do anything are the government.

And they decided not to in 2018 when they were told there was a critical risk to life.

Not true. The responsibility lies firmly with councils to provide adequate education. Just as it does when a school burns down.