Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in Enfield North constituency.

​There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England and the vast majority are unaffected by RAAC. Around 1% have confirmed RAAC in some areas of their buildings. There are two schools with confirmed RAAC in the constituency of Enfield North: Ark John Keats Academy and St Ignatius College.

The department is supporting its schools and colleges to keep any disruption to education to an absolute minimum. Every school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from the department’s team of caseworkers. Each case is unique and schools and colleges are being supported to put in place a bespoke plan based on their circumstances. All schools and colleges with confirmed RAAC are providing full time face-to-face education for all pupils.

The government has confirmed to schools and colleges, including those in Enfield North, how it will fund them to remove RAAC permanently, either through grants or through the school rebuilding programme (SRP). The longer-term requirements of each school or college will vary depending on the extent of the issue and nature and design of the buildings. Permanently removing RAAC may involve refurbishment of existing buildings or rebuilding affected buildings.

Schools joining the SRP are prioritised for delivery according to the condition need of their buildings, readiness to proceed, and efficiency of delivery. The department also takes into account the suitability and longevity of the temporary accommodation they are using. The department has committed to responsible bodies that it will confirm when works are expected to start by the end of the summer term.

For schools and colleges receiving grants, the department is working with responsible bodies to support them to agree the scope of works they are procuring. In some cases, this may involve undertaking technical assessments to inform the design of building works and in other cases the removal or RAAC is already underway and will be completed in the coming months.