Shadow education secretary says DfE is in ‘complete chaos’

Labour’s shadow education secretary accused the Department for Education (DfE) of being in “complete chaos” as pressure piles on the Government to make clear its plan to end the concrete disruption in schools.

There is a backdrop of uncertainty about how long disruption from the aerated concrete crisis will last as pupils start the new term with summer holidays coming to an end.

Bridget Phillipson said it is “vital” that the Government publish the list of all the schools that are affected “as soon as possible”.

“We are already seeing up to 100 schools closing with reports more might be forced to close,” she said.

“It’s a scandal that as children are just returning to school ministers are still not being upfront about the scale of what we are facing.

“If they don’t (publish the list), we’ll force a vote in the House of Commons to make sure that parents can know exactly what’s going on.

“This is completely unacceptable, children have seen so much disruption to their education and ministers need to get a grip on this because this is a department that is in complete chaos.”

More classrooms could be forced to shut as further assessments are made of the risks of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in buildings, the Government admitted.

Ministers promised to publish a list of the affected schools “in due course”.

Remote learning for children unable to access face-to-face lessons should last “days, not weeks”, the Government has said, but ministers have not said exactly when the disruption might ease.

Education leaders have been encouraged to use community centres, empty office buildings or other schools while structural supports are installed to mitigate the risk of collapse.

Concerns about Raac – a lightweight concrete used up until the mid-1990s – in public buildings were raised in 2018, prompting accusations that ministers have failed to act quick enough.