RAAC: MPs to take evidence on progress fixing crumbling school buildings
The Education Committee will be updated on the progress made towards fixing the RAAC crisis that left many school buildings deemed unsafe and unusable due to crumbling concrete.
Meeting details
The session is likely to focus on the progress of the school rebuilding programme, the maintenance and funding of the school estate and the impact the crisis has had on teaching.
MPs will take evidence from experts, including engineers and teachers’ union representatives, before questioning Children and Families Minister Josh Macalister.
RAAC, or Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, is a more porous and cheaper form of concrete that is also easier to install than traditional methods. Used mainly between the 1950s and 1990s in building schools and hospitals, concerns over its reliability as it aged first appeared three decades ago. In the summer of 2023, RAAC panels collapsed in three school buildings, and in response the Department for Education instructed all schools to close buildings containing RAAC.
In 2024, 234 schools had been identified as having RAAC, of which 119 needed extensive work to remove it. In September 2025, the Government stated that 60% of these were either “fully free” of RAAC or “on the path to removal”.