Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC)

The number of schools identified as having RAAC in their buildings is rising. 15,000 schools were asked to complete surveys and only 1 per cent of the schools that had responded had been identified as containing RAAC. There are however, still 1,500 schools yet to respond.

Of the identified cases,  many have already been supported to put mitigations in place and all children will be back in face-to-face learning this week.  The schools already identified with no mitigations in place will have to vacate any space or building with RAAC. A small minority are expected to have to either fully or partially close their buildings, with most able to remain open for face-to-face learning on their existing site. The majority of the schools are in the North or South East of England. Wales and Scotland are carrying out their own checks. All affected schools have now been assigned a caseworker from the DfE to help with mitigation plans.

Devon County Council undertook research in 2018 to identify if RAAC had been used in the construction of any current council buildings including schools. The results of the survey confirmed that RAAC was not present at that stage.