NEARLY 150 schools were today told to shut down buildings and classrooms at risk of collapse from dodgy concrete - with just days to go before kids go back.
Education chiefs have put in orders for portacabin units to use, with children to be ordered to go to other local schools unless they can prop up walls to keep kids safe.
Internal advice for Department for Education (DfE) case workers seen by The Sun was pumped out this morning ordering schools to stop using any room where RAAC concrete is in use - and "immediately" put in place plans for pupils to go elsewhere.
Up to 20 schools may have to close altogether as the dodgy material is used for most of their school buildings.
Most schools have only some buildings with the concrete - with the concrete found in walls, floors and ceilings.
Are there illegal baby names? Surprising monikers that are BANNED in other countries, from Sarah to Thomas
Schools, nursery's and sixth forms are affected - with a decision taken yesterday to change position.
It says: "As RAAC has been identified in your school/college/nursery we are recommending you vacate the areas with confirmed RAAC - even if they are assessed as non-critical unless mitigations are already in place.
"The current advice is that all RAAC, regardless of the risk rating, should be taken out of use and mitigations should be implemented immediately".
The DfE say they will "provide support with funding urgent mitigations" including propping tools and "temporary classrooms if needed" - which will be fully funded by Government.
Schools are now rushing around to get emergency plans in place with just days to go before school starts.
Parents are expected to be told if their school is affected from today.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, said: “Nothing is more important than making sure children and staff are safe in schools and colleges, which is why we are acting on new evidence about RAAC now, ahead of the start of term.
“We must take a cautious approach because that is the right thing to do for both pupils and staff.
“The plan we have set out will minimise the impact on pupil learning and provide schools with the right funding and support they need to put mitigations in place to deal with RAAC”.
Teachers were told to take equipment like computers to safe classrooms as soon as possible.
I'm scared I've ruined my daughter's life because of her name
Year groups are likely to be "displaced across multiple schools" - with no idea how long kids could be on different sites for.
Local authorities are being told to prioritise "vulnerable pupils and students" first.
It means kids could be ordered to other schools in the area or work outside in portable units from next week.
DfE staff are being asked to find out how many spaces are affected, and what measures are in place at all of the affected schools.
It comes as...
- It was revealed 700,000 students would be impacted by the crumbling concrete fears
- Ministers were urged to publish a full schools list immediately
- A list of known impacted schools was pulled together
Four schools were shut earlier this year after the RAAC was found in their ceilings.
A roof collapse in Kent in 2018 sparked fears over the lightweight materials which were used from the 1950s onwards.
Up to 500 schools in total could be affected by the dodgy concrete, The Sun understands.
Of the 150 which have confirmed they have the crumbling concrete, 50 already have safety measures in place.
104 will be contacted today to take drastic action - with more expected in the weeks and months ahead.
Ministers were slammed for dragging their feet on the problem, which has been known about for months.
Julie McCulloch, Director of Policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "The Department for Education’s own annual report last year identified the condition of school buildings as one of six ‘significant risks’ it was managing, describing this risk as ‘critical – very likely’ and ‘worsening’.
“It has taken the government far too long to act on a risk of this seriousness.
"The scramble now taking place to contact affected schools ahead of the imminent start of the new school year is clearly vital, but the actions these schools will need to take will be hugely disruptive, and this will obviously be worrying for pupils, families and staff.
"The government should have put in place a programme to identify and remediate this risk at a much earlier stage."
Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said: “This is shocking evidence of a department in disarray. With days to go before the start of term and despite knowing about the potential risks posed by reinforced aerated autoclave concrete for months, [ministers] are now phoning schools to ask them if they are ready to close, further disrupting children’s education.
"The education secretary needs to tell parents how many schools are affected, whether their children are safe at school, and just what on earth is going on."
The Department for Education has been approached for comment.
A spokesperson for the DfE said last night that the safety of pupils and teachers was its “utmost” priority.
They said: “We have been engaging with schools and responsible bodies about the potential risks of RAAC since 2018 and subsequently published guidance on identifying and managing it.
“As part of this work schools have been asked to inform the department if they believe RAAC is present on their estate.
"Where we confirm it is present, we work with individual education settings on how to manage RAAC and develop contingency plans to minimise any disruption to education.”
