More than 100 schools must close their crumbling buildings days before children return

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This shock news could cause chaos for tens of thousands of pupils in England, who could be sent to neighboring schools or even forced to learn to distance from home

The affected schools were built with “friable” concrete, raising safety concerns (

Image: Getty Images)

Dozens of schools, nurseries and universities at risk of collapse have been ordered to "immediately" close all unsafe concrete areas, just days before the start of the year.

This shocking news could cause chaos for tens of thousands of students, who could be sent to nearby schools or even forced to learn remotely while buildings are secured. Authorities contacted around 100 educational institutions ahead of the start of the fall term to ask them to immediately close affected buildings unless safety measures are in place. Another 50 people installed "mitigation measures" throughout the year, such as supporting potentially dangerous ceilings.

Parents will be contacted by principals if students need to move while rehabilitation work is underway. But the Department of Education declined to provide a list of affected schools.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the government was acting on 'new evidence' to ensure the safety of pupils and staff. But her Labor counterpart Bridget Phillipson told the Mirror: 'This is an absolutely stunning display of Tory incompetence as they enter a new term of office failing our children again.'

The schools involved were built with “friable” reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC, between the 1960s and 1990s, with a life expectancy of around 30 years. The risk to the lives of pupils has been known for five years after the partial collapse of a primary school in Kent.

It comes after the Mirror revealed this week that executives have been told to draw up contingency plans in case they have to close some or all of their buildings within days. Today's decision marks a sudden change in the DfE's view of the risk of RAAC.

Is your child's school affected? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk

A leaked internal DfE document seen by the Mirror states: "Current advice is that all RAACs, regardless of risk level, should be taken out of service and that all protective measures mitigation should be implemented immediately. If appropriate mitigation measures have already been installed, these spaces can remain in use. »

We understand that some schools may be forced to close completely, with students being sent to nearby schools, taught in portacabins or away from home. Other schools will only have to close parts of their buildings.

The Ministry of Education conducted a survey of schools to find out how many of them were built using RAAC blocks. As of May, 65 of the 196 schools inspected had been confirmed to have a RAAC, and another 400 were to be verified of the 600 identified as potentially affected.

RAAC is a lightweight concrete filled with air, reinforced with steel bars and often used in the construction of flat roofs. If the roof is not watertight, the steel bars can corrode and the whole structure can collapse without warning.

The Department for Education has rated the possibility of a building collapse or failure resulting in death or injury as a 'critical and very likely' risk since 2021. The Mirror understands that the Department for Education has been looking for mobile units to deliver to schools that cannot make other arrangements. Ministers will only provide funding for...