Raac Crisis: Shadow Education Secretary claims there's 'still gaps' in list of schools affected

The Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has told ITV News Tyne Tees she is sceptical that the full scale of the Raac concrete scandal is known, claiming there are "still gaps" in the list of schools affected.

Speaking during a visit to St Anne's Catholic Primary School in Gateshead, which is one of four in the country that has had to close its gates due to the crisis, she said Labour would have continued to upgrade school buildings had it stayed in power 13 years ago.

The government has said fewer than 1 per cent of all education settings have confirmed cases of Raac and that "the vast majority of schools remain unaffected".

She said: "We still, I don’t think, have got the exact list about all of the schools. There’s still gaps, but in the longer run, this is what happens after 13 years of not investing in our schools’ estate. When Labour was in government we had a plan to rebuild schools, to invest in our children and young people.

"We rebuilt and transformed schools the length and breadth of this country. We had a plan to do more and that’s what would have happened had we continued in government, but sadly, the Conservatives came in and they ripped that up and we’ve never had a proper national plan afterwards."

Currently we know there are 147 schools affected across the country, with 19 forced to delay the start of term and 24 having to go back to some form of remote learning.

ITV News understands St Anne's Catholic Primary School has had several building inspections which deemed it a "serious risk" when it came to Raac, but this week, following the summer, that risk assessment was increased to "critical".

The headteacher at St Anne's was about to start her first week at the school when she was notified it had to close.

She said: "It has been a bit of a headache, but they’ve had worksheets and packs that we’ve been delivering and that’s been our only solution at the moment, but next week we’re hoping to get face-to-face with the children in different venues."

She added that, although it "must have been devastating for families", the parents had been "really supportive".

The department for Education referred ITV News to this statement by Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, from Wednesday: "I know this is the last way parents, teachers and children affected by this wanted to begin the new term, but it will always be my priority to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.

"Thanks to the hard work of schools, colleges, councils, diocese and academy trusts, the majority of settings where Raac has been confirmed have opened to all pupils for the start of term.

"We will continue to support all impacted settings in whatever way we can, whether that’s through our team of dedicated caseworkers or through capital funding to put mitigations in place."We are also expediting surveys and urging all responsible bodies to tell us what they know about Raac, so we can be confident that settings are safe and supported."

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