One per cent of schools are affected by RAAC, according to the latest figures

Measures to permanently remove Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) from all affected schools and colleges, have been confirmed by the Government.

A final list of schools and colleges with confirmed cases of RAAC in schools and colleges in England has also been published.

It reveals there are 234 education settings, out of 22,000, with confirmed RAAC in some areas of their buildings – around 1%.

A total of 119 of these will have one or more buildings rebuilt or refurbished through the School Rebuilding Programme where works to remove RAAC are more extensive or complex.

Additionally, 110 schools and colleges will benefit from grant funding to remove RAAC from their buildings where works will typically be smaller in scale.

And five schools and colleges, with support from the Department, have alternative arrangements in place to address the removal of RAAC, for example the building will not be part of the school or college estate over the longer term.

Funding

Those responsible for affected school and college buildings are receiving direct confirmation from the department on how the RAAC removal will be funded.

Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, said: “Nothing is more important to me than the safety of every child and member of staff in school.

“We will continue to work closely with schools and colleges as we take the next step to permanently remove RAAC from affected buildings.

“I want to thank all schools, colleges, and local authorities who have worked tirelessly with the department to ensure all children remain in face-to-face education.”

The Department’s RAAC Identification programme is now complete as 100% of schools and colleges with blocks built in the target era have responded to the questionnaire.

And all schools or colleges that advised they suspect they might have RAAC have had a survey to confirm if it is present.

A small number of schools and colleges are carrying out additional checks for further assurance in some spaces.

And the Department is working with responsible bodies to support them to complete these additional checks as quickly as possible.

Prioritising work

In addition to the 119 schools with confirmed RAAC included in the School Rebuilding Programme, the Department has confirmed that a further eight schools without RAAC have also been added to the programme.

The projects announced take the total number of schools in the programme to 513.

The 10-year School Rebuilding Programme is continuing to prioritise school buildings with the highest condition need across England through rebuilding, or significantly refurbishing, buildings.

The Government has already confirmed it will fund schools and colleges for the costs of work needed to mitigate the presence of RAAC.

And this latest announcement provides certainty for individual schools or colleges in England on how the Government will support the removal of RAAC from their buildings.

Although the technical advice does not recommend removal in all cases where it is present, the Department has taken a precautionary approach for the education estate in England to remove RAAC.

And £1.8bn has already been committed in capital funding this year to support schools to stay in good working order, as part of £15bn allocated since 2015.

The School Rebuilding Programme will transform over 500 schools over the next decade.

A further £1.5bn has been made available for colleges through the further education capital transformation fund.