More than 100 schools and colleges have been told to partially or fully close buildings because of fears concrete in the foundations could suddenly collapse.
The Department for Education (DfE) said some children may be forced back into pandemic-style remote learning.
However, the Government has refused to publicly reveal the 104 education facilities that have been told to shut buildings, and critics warned the problems with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) could be far wider.
School buildings in England made with a certain type of concrete that is prone to collapse will be immediately closed over safety fears, the government has announced.
UNISION union says the situation is is ‘nothing short of a scandal’.
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Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told broadcasters: “Most parents should not be worried about this at all.”
But shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “We haven’t seen the full list of schools affected. We don’t know where they are, ministers should come clean with parents and set out the full scale of the challenge that we’re facing.”
Official guidance was issued to schools, school nurseries and colleges – which have been told they will have to fund their own emergency accommodation.
The DfE said it contacted 104 schools in the wake of an analysis of new cases after 52 of the 156 educational settings containing the concrete took protective steps so far this year.
The department said a “minority” will need to “either fully or partially relocate” to alternative accommodation while safety measures are installed.
But its guidance to schools said funding will only be provided for works that are “capital funded” and schools will have to pay for rental costs for emergency or temporary accommodation.
We found tens of thousands of children are…
