No schools in Sefton are due to close temporarily before the start of term due to RAAC concrete being present.
Sefton Council has released a statement today saying it will “closely monitor this matter should any action be deemed necessary”.
The government says that schools in England will need to immediately close 156 buildings which are made out of a certain type of concrete which is prone to collapsing unless safety measures are put in place.
The Department for Education says it won’t be releasing the list of schools affected, but the names of the affected schools are expected to quickly become public once parents start being emailed.
Sefton Council released a statement today saying:
“We are aware of this national report and we will, as always, take any action that is necessary to ensure our school communities are kept safe.
“At this time there are no plans to temporarily close Sefton maintained school buildings in the borough over this issue.
“Nevertheless we will continue to closely monitor this matter and should any action be deemed necessary, we will communicate this directly with parents and staff.”
Teachers union NAHT says the timing of this couldn’t be worse, with children due to return from summer holidays next week.
No timeline has been given for when the work on the affected school buildings needs to be done, but school leaders want an “urgent plan” to get them fixed.
In June, a report by the National Audit Office assessed the risk of injury or death from a school building collapse as “very likely and critical”.
The affected buildings are made with RAAC concrete, which is lightweight and prone to collapse, and was used widely between the 1950s and 1990s.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan says today’s decision followed “new evidence about RAAC”.
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