Government must come clean on which Horsham schools are affected by crumbling concrete
The Government has refused to reveal which schools are affected by failing RAAC concrete, despite calls from the Liberal Democrats to come clean.
More than 100 schools across the country have been told they have buildings at risk of sudden collapse, because they have been made with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). But precisely which schools are affected remains a government secret.
Although West Sussex County Council says its schools are in the clear, it seems this statement does not include Academies. Parents have been informed that Greenway Junior School in Trafalgar, Horsham will be closed on Tuesday 5th September for a precautionary inspection.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb has been forced to admit the Government can’t be sure of the true total as they “continue to do more surveying work”.
This problem has been decades in the making. But it is extraordinary that the government should find itself making this announcement now, a matter of days before the start of term, causing maximum disruption.
John Milne, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Horsham, said:
“The Government must come clean immediately about which schools are at risk. This attitude of paranoid secrecy is extremely unhelpful and is creating needless anxiety for parents and teachers everywhere.
“Parents need to be reassured they’re not sending their children back to school in an unsafe building that may collapse. Unfortunately the Government seems more concerned to protect its own image than to protect our children.
“The truth is that things should never have been allowed to get so bad. The Government has known about this problem for years, but repeatedly delayed essential maintenance."
Read the Natinal Audit Office's report "Condition of school buildings" dated 28 June 2023: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/condition-of-school-buildings.pdfhttps://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/condition-of-school-buildings.pdf.