You may have heard in the press recently about school buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC. You may also have received an email in February from the Department for Education (DfE) about an RAAC survey.

NAHT has been raising very significant concerns about the potential risks posed by the historical use of RAAC in some school buildings, both with the DfE and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). We are calling on the DfE to take urgent action to ensure that checks are carried out in every single school where the use of RAAC is identified. As part of this, it is important that all responsible bodies (usually the local authority or trust) have completed the DfE’s RAAC questionnaire, which has now had its deadline extended. NAHT recommends that all members seek confirmation from their responsible body that it has completed this questionnaire on your school’s behalf.

If you consider you might have RAAC in your school, we strongly suggest that you ask your responsible body to contact the DfE about its RAAC assessment programme and seek other specialist advice as necessary. Schools in the programme will receive a visit from a structural engineer, who will verify whether RAAC is present and assess its condition. The DfE will provide appropriate support to any school or college where the engineer identifies immediate action is required. If you’re not sure whether or not RAAC is present, seek clarification from your responsible body. For more information on RAAC, please see the links below.

DfE December 2022 estates guidance on RAAC

Local Government Association guidance on RAAC