
Concrete crisis: School repair budgets cut despite warning
An ex-civil servant says Rishi Sunak halved the repair budget for England as Chancellor
More than 150 schools in England have been identified as having a type of potentially dangerous concrete – RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) – with many now closing buildings or classrooms to make them safe.
The government has not yet published a list of which schools are affected as it says it wants parents to hear from headteachers and principals about closures first.
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said the government "will spend what it takes" to make schools safe from RAAC.
Today’s Nick Robinson spoke to Peter Smith, head teacher at Farlingaye High School in Suffolk and Jonathan Slater, who was Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education until the summer of 2020. Nick Robinson also spoke to Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary.
(Image, Parks Primary School, Leicester, Credit Jacob King/ PA)
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