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1663719

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Absenteeism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have been out of school for one year or longer as a result of not having been able to find a setting that meets their needs.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	201572
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>The Department collects data about children who are not in a school but being taught in another setting, such as pupil referral units or at home, through the Alternative Provision census and the Elective Home Education collection. The latest data on children in Alternative Provision, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN), is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics</a>. The latest data about children in Elective Home Education, including those with SEN, is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Department also collects data about children missing education, who are not registered at school or otherwise receiving suitable education, from Local Authorities on a voluntary basis. The latest published figures, which include the proportion of children with SEN, can be found here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Data is not available on how long children have spent in these arrangements.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 201573 question first answered 23/10/2023 15:03:19 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1663720

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Absenteeism
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children identified as having special educational needs and disabilities have been out of school for one year or longer as a result of not having been able to find a setting that meets their needs.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	201573
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>The Department collects data about children who are not in a school but being taught in another setting, such as pupil referral units or at home, through the Alternative Provision census and the Elective Home Education collection. The latest data on children in Alternative Provision, including those with Special Educational Needs (SEN), is available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics</a>. The latest data about children in Elective Home Education, including those with SEN, is available at: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Department also collects data about children missing education, who are not registered at school or otherwise receiving suitable education, from Local Authorities on a voluntary basis. The latest published figures, which include the proportion of children with SEN, can be found here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Data is not available on how long children have spent in these arrangements.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 201572 question first answered 23/10/2023 15:03:19 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1663943

registered interest
date	13/10/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Home Education: Registration and Regulation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to (a) introduce a national register of children education at home and (b) provide (i) Ofsted with additional powers to investigate suspected illegal settings and (ii) prosecutors the power to shut settings down where appropriate; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	201796
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>The Government remains committed to introducing statutory Local Authority registers for children not in school, as well as a duty for Local Authorities to provide support to home educating families. The Department will legislate for these at a future suitable opportunity, to support Local Authorities to undertake their existing duties to ensure that all children receive a suitable education and are safe, regardless of where they are educated.</p><p>Since 2016, the Department and Ofsted have worked successfully with the Crown Prosecution Services to secure criminal convictions against those responsible for five settings that were operating illegally as schools. The Government has recognised the need to improve powers to investigate and act against such settings. The Department remains committed to legislating for these powers at a future suitable opportunity.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 23/10/2023 15:08:21 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1661835

registered interest
date	19/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the spreadsheet Education settings with confirmed RAAC and mitigations in place as of 14 September 2023, published by her Department on 19 September 2023, how many state-funded education settings where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete is confirmed to be present are providing face-to-face education (a) by sending pupils to other school sites and (b) teaching pupils in (i) church and village halls and (ii) other non-educational premises as of 14 September 2023.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	200387
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2023 answer text <p>An updated list of schools and colleges with confirmed cases of RAAC was published on 19 October, which is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-raac-management-information</a>.</p><p>The Department is providing significant support to schools and colleges to ensure children remain in face to face education or are returned to it as soon as possible. This includes providing all schools and colleges where RAAC is confirmed with a dedicated caseworker to work with them to assess what support is needed and implement mitigations plans that are right for them. Mitigation plans could include other spaces on the school site, or in nearby schools or elsewhere in the local area, until structural works are carried out or temporary buildings are installed. A bespoke plan is put in place to ensure that each school and college receives the support that suits their circumstances with a clear focus on getting children back to full time face to face education as quickly as possible. These arrangements change quite quickly and so any figure about the number of children not in school settings will soon be out of date.</p><p>Project delivery teams are on site to support schools and colleges to minimise the disruption to children and young people’s education, whether that is finding short term accommodation options or designing and putting in place structural solutions for affected spaces.</p><p>The Department is also funding emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall, this should be discussed with their caseworker. The Department expects that all reasonable requests will be approved.</p><p>Where a school or college has insufficient on site accommodation once the areas with RAAC are taken out of use and alternative off site emergency or longer term temporary accommodation is required, the Local Authority and school or college is responsible for making alternative arrangements and should agree this with parents of affected pupils and students. In many cases, pupils and students will be able to remain on the roll of their existing education setting, even if they are in emergency or longer term temporary accommodation on a different school site.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/10/2023 10:08:37 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1660762

registered interest
date	14/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of state-funded schools that are suspected to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete that have not yet been surveyed.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	199665
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where we are made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, the Department takes immediate action.</p><p>It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day-to-day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building.</p><p>The Department has acted decisively and proactively to tackle this issue. This Government has taken more proactive action on RAAC than any other in the UK. The Department issued comprehensive guidance in 2018, and subsequent years, to all responsible bodies highlighting the potential risks associated with RAAC and supporting them to identify this within their buildings, as well as to take appropriate steps in meeting their obligations to keep buildings safe. The most recent guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance</a>.</p><p>There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England, and the vast majority are unaffected. A significant proportion of the estate was built outside the period where RAAC was used, with around one third of the estate built since 2001, therefore, the Department has focused efforts on buildings built in the post-war decades.</p><p>The Department issued a questionnaire in March 2022, asking responsible bodies to inform the Department of any suspected RAAC identified in their estates. Responsible bodies have submitted questionnaires for over 98% of schools with blocks built in the target era, of which there are 14,900. We are pressing all remaining schools to get checks completed, to determine which schools require surveys.</p><p>The Department is contacting responsible bodies to help them respond to this request and to advise on what needs to be done, so that they can establish whether they believe they have RAAC. This work will continue until we have a response for all target era schools.</p><p>Schools and colleges where RAAC is suspected are being fast tracked for surveying, which is used to confirm whether RAAC is actually present. All schools and colleges that have already told us they suspect they might have RAAC will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases in a matter of days.</p><p>All schools where RAAC is confirmed are provided with a dedicated caseworker to support them and help implement a mitigation plan and minimise the disruption to children’s learning.</p><p>Across Government, Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Department for Education published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.</p><p>Schools will contact parents where RAAC is identified and inform them of any impacts on their child. The vast majority of schools are unaffected. Any parents that are unsure if their child’s school is affected should contact their school directly.</p><p>While some short term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to pupil learning and ensure that pupils continue to receive face-to-face teaching. Where there is any disturbance to face-to-face education, schools will prioritise attendance for vulnerable children and young people and children of key workers. The guidance published by the Department in August also includes guidance on provision for pupils with SEND and sets out expectations that schools continue to provide free school meals to eligible pupils.</p><p>The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the department will provide that support for all reasonable requests. The Department will also fund longer term refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term.</p><p>All previously confirmed Schol Rebuilding Programme projects announced in 2021 and 2022 will continue to go ahead. A full list of confirmed projects can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme</a>.</p><p>Further information on RAAC in education settings is available on the Education Hub: <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/</a><a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/04/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">.</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 195297 195298 195299 197045 197366 197369 197478 197492 197557 197558 197559 197603 197613 197809 197863 197864 197870 197920 197971 197972 197973 197974 198246 198247 198255 198384 198393 198465 198466 198467 198572 198573 198575 199083 199254 199666 199670 question first answered 18/09/2023 20:03:37 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1660763

registered interest
date	14/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of when all state-funded schools that are suspected to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete will have been surveyed.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	199666
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where we are made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, the Department takes immediate action.</p><p>It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day-to-day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building.</p><p>The Department has acted decisively and proactively to tackle this issue. This Government has taken more proactive action on RAAC than any other in the UK. The Department issued comprehensive guidance in 2018, and subsequent years, to all responsible bodies highlighting the potential risks associated with RAAC and supporting them to identify this within their buildings, as well as to take appropriate steps in meeting their obligations to keep buildings safe. The most recent guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance</a>.</p><p>There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England, and the vast majority are unaffected. A significant proportion of the estate was built outside the period where RAAC was used, with around one third of the estate built since 2001, therefore, the Department has focused efforts on buildings built in the post-war decades.</p><p>The Department issued a questionnaire in March 2022, asking responsible bodies to inform the Department of any suspected RAAC identified in their estates. Responsible bodies have submitted questionnaires for over 98% of schools with blocks built in the target era, of which there are 14,900. We are pressing all remaining schools to get checks completed, to determine which schools require surveys.</p><p>The Department is contacting responsible bodies to help them respond to this request and to advise on what needs to be done, so that they can establish whether they believe they have RAAC. This work will continue until we have a response for all target era schools.</p><p>Schools and colleges where RAAC is suspected are being fast tracked for surveying, which is used to confirm whether RAAC is actually present. All schools and colleges that have already told us they suspect they might have RAAC will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases in a matter of days.</p><p>All schools where RAAC is confirmed are provided with a dedicated caseworker to support them and help implement a mitigation plan and minimise the disruption to children’s learning.</p><p>Across Government, Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Department for Education published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.</p><p>Schools will contact parents where RAAC is identified and inform them of any impacts on their child. The vast majority of schools are unaffected. Any parents that are unsure if their child’s school is affected should contact their school directly.</p><p>While some short term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to pupil learning and ensure that pupils continue to receive face-to-face teaching. Where there is any disturbance to face-to-face education, schools will prioritise attendance for vulnerable children and young people and children of key workers. The guidance published by the Department in August also includes guidance on provision for pupils with SEND and sets out expectations that schools continue to provide free school meals to eligible pupils.</p><p>The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the department will provide that support for all reasonable requests. The Department will also fund longer term refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term.</p><p>All previously confirmed Schol Rebuilding Programme projects announced in 2021 and 2022 will continue to go ahead. A full list of confirmed projects can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme</a>.</p><p>Further information on RAAC in education settings is available on the Education Hub: <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/</a><a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/04/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">.</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 195297 195298 195299 197045 197366 197369 197478 197492 197557 197558 197559 197603 197613 197809 197863 197864 197870 197920 197971 197972 197973 197974 198246 198247 198255 198384 198393 198465 198466 198467 198572 198573 198575 199083 199254 199665 199670 question first answered 18/09/2023 20:03:37 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1660764

registered interest
date	14/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which organisations have been contracted by her Department to survey school buildings suspected to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; and when those contracts were entered into.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	199667
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/09/2023 answer text <p>The Department publishes details of all construction contracts awarded over £10,000 This information is accessible at: <a href="https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search" target="_blank">https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search</a>. Contracts will be published within 30 days of awarding the contracts.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 26/09/2023 16:48:11 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1660765

registered interest
date	14/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on providing funding additional to her Department's capital budget to support the implementation of the guidance on reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in education settings, published on 31 August 2023.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	199668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2023 answer text <p>It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day to day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware of a building that poses an immediate risk, immediate action is taken.</p><p>Ministers and officials have regular discussions with colleagues from HM Treasury.</p><p>The Government has committed to spend whatever it takes to keep children safe. The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the Department will cover all reasonable requests.</p><p>The Department will then also fund refurbishment or rebuilding projects, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term. Schools and colleges will either be offered capital grants to fund refurbishment work to permanently remove RAAC, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, including through the School Rebuilding Programme. The Department will set out further details for affected schools and colleges in due course.</p><p>The cost of the work needed at each school with RAAC will vary depending on the extent of the issue and the nature of the buildings. The Department is working closely with affected schools and colleges to understand and support their needs. The Department has also assigned a dedicated caseworker to each school and college affected, who will work with them to assess their particular needs and implement individually designed mitigation plans.</p><p>More broadly, the Department has continued to invest in improving the condition of schools and colleges, with over £15 billion allocated since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed for the 2023/24 financial year. On top of this, the Department is transforming 500 schools through the School Rebuilding Programme. A total of 400 schools have been confirmed, with 100 places reserved for later in the programme. Buildings in the poorest condition and those with evidence of potential safety issues have been prioritised, including some now known to contain RAAC. The Department is committed to the projects that have already been announced as being rebuilt or refurbished through the School Rebuilding Programme.</p><p>The Department will always put the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff in schools and colleges at the heart of its policy decisions. The Government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than the devolved administrations in the UK, or indeed, governments overseas.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 199669 question first answered 12/10/2023 10:57:24 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1660766

registered interest
date	14/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of mitigating against the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete across the entire school estate.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	199669
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/10/2023 answer text <p>It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day to day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware of a building that poses an immediate risk, immediate action is taken.</p><p>Ministers and officials have regular discussions with colleagues from HM Treasury.</p><p>The Government has committed to spend whatever it takes to keep children safe. The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the Department will cover all reasonable requests.</p><p>The Department will then also fund refurbishment or rebuilding projects, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term. Schools and colleges will either be offered capital grants to fund refurbishment work to permanently remove RAAC, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, including through the School Rebuilding Programme. The Department will set out further details for affected schools and colleges in due course.</p><p>The cost of the work needed at each school with RAAC will vary depending on the extent of the issue and the nature of the buildings. The Department is working closely with affected schools and colleges to understand and support their needs. The Department has also assigned a dedicated caseworker to each school and college affected, who will work with them to assess their particular needs and implement individually designed mitigation plans.</p><p>More broadly, the Department has continued to invest in improving the condition of schools and colleges, with over £15 billion allocated since 2015, including £1.8 billion committed for the 2023/24 financial year. On top of this, the Department is transforming 500 schools through the School Rebuilding Programme. A total of 400 schools have been confirmed, with 100 places reserved for later in the programme. Buildings in the poorest condition and those with evidence of potential safety issues have been prioritised, including some now known to contain RAAC. The Department is committed to the projects that have already been announced as being rebuilt or refurbished through the School Rebuilding Programme.</p><p>The Department will always put the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff in schools and colleges at the heart of its policy decisions. The Government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than the devolved administrations in the UK, or indeed, governments overseas.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 199668 question first answered 12/10/2023 10:57:25 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1660767

registered interest
date	14/09/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Buildings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average waiting time is between a school informing her Department of suspected reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in its buildings and a surveyor appointed by her Department visiting the school.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	199670
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/09/2023 answer text <p>Nothing is more important than the safety of children and staff. It has always been the case that where we are made aware of a building that may pose an immediate risk, the Department takes immediate action.</p><p>It is the responsibility of those who run schools – academy trusts, Local Authorities, and voluntary-aided school bodies – who work with their schools on a day-to-day basis, to manage the safety and maintenance of their schools and to alert us if there is a concern with a building.</p><p>The Department has acted decisively and proactively to tackle this issue. This Government has taken more proactive action on RAAC than any other in the UK. The Department issued comprehensive guidance in 2018, and subsequent years, to all responsible bodies highlighting the potential risks associated with RAAC and supporting them to identify this within their buildings, as well as to take appropriate steps in meeting their obligations to keep buildings safe. The most recent guidance is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reinforced-autoclaved-aerated-concrete-estates-guidance</a>.</p><p>There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England, and the vast majority are unaffected. A significant proportion of the estate was built outside the period where RAAC was used, with around one third of the estate built since 2001, therefore, the Department has focused efforts on buildings built in the post-war decades.</p><p>The Department issued a questionnaire in March 2022, asking responsible bodies to inform the Department of any suspected RAAC identified in their estates. Responsible bodies have submitted questionnaires for over 98% of schools with blocks built in the target era, of which there are 14,900. We are pressing all remaining schools to get checks completed, to determine which schools require surveys.</p><p>The Department is contacting responsible bodies to help them respond to this request and to advise on what needs to be done, so that they can establish whether they believe they have RAAC. This work will continue until we have a response for all target era schools.</p><p>Schools and colleges where RAAC is suspected are being fast tracked for surveying, which is used to confirm whether RAAC is actually present. All schools and colleges that have already told us they suspect they might have RAAC will be surveyed within a matter of weeks, in many cases in a matter of days.</p><p>All schools where RAAC is confirmed are provided with a dedicated caseworker to support them and help implement a mitigation plan and minimise the disruption to children’s learning.</p><p>Across Government, Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed RAAC in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Department for Education published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September, and committed to providing further updates.</p><p>Schools will contact parents where RAAC is identified and inform them of any impacts on their child. The vast majority of schools are unaffected. Any parents that are unsure if their child’s school is affected should contact their school directly.</p><p>While some short term disruption is inevitable, all available measures will be taken to minimise disruption to pupil learning and ensure that pupils continue to receive face-to-face teaching. Where there is any disturbance to face-to-face education, schools will prioritise attendance for vulnerable children and young people and children of key workers. The guidance published by the Department in August also includes guidance on provision for pupils with SEND and sets out expectations that schools continue to provide free school meals to eligible pupils.</p><p>The Department will fund emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe, including installing alternative classroom space where necessary. Where schools and colleges need additional help with revenue costs, like transport to locations or temporarily renting a local hall or office, the department will provide that support for all reasonable requests. The Department will also fund longer term refurbishment projects, or rebuilding projects where these are needed, to rectify the RAAC issue in the long term.</p><p>All previously confirmed Schol Rebuilding Programme projects announced in 2021 and 2022 will continue to go ahead. A full list of confirmed projects can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme-schools-in-the-programme</a>.</p><p>Further information on RAAC in education settings is available on the Education Hub: <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/06/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/</a><a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/09/04/new-guidance-on-raac-in-education-settings/" target="_blank">.</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 195297 195298 195299 197045 197366 197369 197478 197492 197557 197558 197559 197603 197613 197809 197863 197864 197870 197920 197971 197972 197973 197974 198246 198247 198255 198384 198393 198465 198466 198467 198572 198573 198575 199083 199254 199665 199666 question first answered 18/09/2023 20:03:37 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson