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<p>Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England
only.</p><p>Responsibility for ensuring the safety and condition of school buildings
lies with the responsible bodies, such as Local Authorities, trusts, and voluntary
aided bodies.</p><p>The Department has sent a questionnaire on Reinforced Autoclaved
Aerated Concrete (RAAC) to all responsible bodies in England, asking them to provide
information on RAAC in their estates. Responses from the questionnaire will allow
the Department to better understand the prevalence of RAAC across schools and ensure
the correct support is in place to meet the responsible bodies’ needs. The questionnaire
remains open for responsible bodies to respond to, and the Department is still collecting
this information.</p><p>The Department provides support to schools and responsible
bodies and has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 to keep schools safe and operational.
This includes £1.8 billion committed this financial year, informed by consistent data
on the school estate. In addition, the Department’s School Rebuilding Programme will
transform 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition.</p><p>Where
the Department is notified of a significant safety issue with a school building that
cannot be managed within local resources, the Department considers additional support
on a case by case basis. The Department provides advisory support to schools that
have closed to minimise the effect and ensure continuity of education for pupils.</p><p>
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