Which schools are closed? The full list of schools affected by RAAC, the potentially dangerous concrete

RAAC - a type of potentially dangerous concrete - has been identified in more than 150 schools. And parents want to know which schools are closed as a result of the crisis.

Just as parents finished stocking up on back-to-school supplies in time for the kids going back to school in September, the new term was thrown into chaos. News from the Department for Education broke that many sites have been deemed unsafe due to the presence of a type of concrete known as RAAC, which has left some schools with no option but to delay reopening.

With headteachers and staff scrambling to rejig timetables and put last-minute home-learning in place, parents and pupils alike have been wondering which schools are affected by RAAC and what will happen at the start of the new term. We've researched everything you need to know, from which schools are closed to what exactly RAAC is...

Which schools are closed due to RAAC?

It is not known exactly how many schools will have to close due to the presence of RAAC, but the Department for Education (DfE) has newly identified 156 schools that are affected. It's understood a full list of sites will only be released when all parents are informed and mitigations are in place.

Of the affected schools, 52 have already put safety measures in place, while the other 104 are currently working to put protections in place that mean they stay open - but it's reported that as many as 24 of them may have to fully close.

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Schools only have to close (or partially close) if they do not have safety measures in place and cannot make alternative arrangements - such as converting other parts of the building into temporary classrooms or moving children to another site.

Though the Government has not released an official list of all the schools closing due to the presence of RAAC concrete, there have been some confirmed locations. However, it's hard for schools to identify whether or not their buildings contain RAAC, because it looks like normal concrete.

The confirmed list of schools affected by RAAC

• Abbey Lane Primary School, Sheffield - Work started in July to replace RAAC in the roof over the kitchen, and alternative meal arrangements are now being made for pupils

• The Appleton School, Essex - The Tower, North and South blocks are being vacated. Years 8, 9 and 10 are being moved to online learning from home from Wednesday to Friday

• Arthur Bugler Primary School, Standford-le-Hope - The building for years 4, 5 and 6 will be closed and the start of the new school term could be delayed until 11 September for those year groups

• Aston Manor Academy, Birmingham - No students are expected on site until Monday 11 September at the earliest, and the start of the school term has been delayed until then

• Aylesford School, Warwick - The primary school is not affected but a significant part of the rest of the school will be closed. In the first week of term it will only be open for Year 7 from Monday 4 September, all primary school year groups from Tuesday 5, and Year 12 from Wednesday 6

• The Billericay School, Billericay - Some parts of the school are shut and some pupils will learn remotely

• The Bromfords School, Wickford - The school has been instructed to immediately close the English and humanities blocks, with year 12 due to attend on Wednesday 6 Setpember and Year 7 due in on Friday 8

• Buckhurst Hill Community Primary School, Essex - The school will be closed until Monday 11 for all pupils and alternative teaching arrangements will be organised

• Canon Slade School, Bolton - Some areas are closed for safety reasons

• Carmel College and Sixth Form, Darlington - The kitchen and library are closed but the school will remain open

• The Cherry Tree Academy, Colchester, - A structural engineer is due to inspect the building, with the school closed until Monday, 11 September

• Clacton County High School, Clacton - The start of term has been delayed with some remote learning

• Claydon High School, Ipswichk - The school is considering delaying reopening, or only opening partially for the new term

• Cleeve Park School, Sidcup - Four classrooms, the gym and some admin offices will be closed

• Cockermouth School, Cockermouth - Pupils will return to school a day later because of RAAC found in four corridors, the library and sports hall

• The Coopers' Company and Coburn School, Essex - No students will be in school on Monday 4 September or Tuesday 5 September

• Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School, Brixton - A statement from 18 August says juniors are to be relocated to a neighbouring school

• Cranbourne College, Basingstoke - One area has been closed since the start of the year and temporary works are taking place in another part, but the school remains open

• Crossflatts Primary School, Bradford - The school is partially closed with pupils moved to different areas of the building

• Donnington Wood Infants School, Donnington - The school has had extra temporary ceilings added and will remain open

• East Bergholt High School, Colchester, Essex - The school is considering whether to delay reopening or partially close

• East Tilbury Primary School, Thurrock, Essex - Pupils will be moved around as a result of safety concerns, with Year 1 pupils sharing facilities with Reception and Year 2 relocated to the sports hall

• Eldwick Primary School, Bradford - Bradford Council has confirmed some buildings are closed

• The Ellen Wilkinson School, London - Students have been told to bring in packed lunches while the canteen is out of use, though children on free school meals will be given vouchers. The science block, the old gym and the hall are also being vacated

• Farlingaye High School, Woodbridge, Suffolk - The school says it may need to delay the start of term because some classrooms are out of action

• Ferryhill School, County Durham - New starters will start a week late while other students are being taught online, it said

• The Gilberd School, Colchester - The school will not reopen until 11 September for students in Year 8-11, with Year 7 pupils returning a day later

• Greenway Junior School, Horsham - The school will be closed for all pupils on Tuesday 5 September

• Hadleigh High School, Hadleigh - The school is considering a delay of the new term

• Hatfield Peverel Junior School, Chelmsford - The school is closed until at least mid-September, with temporary classrooms needed

• Hockley Primary School, Hockley - The school has been closed since 11 June and some year groups are being sent to other schools

• Holy Trinity Catholic Academy, Newark-on-Trent - Issues have been identified on site but the school will open as planned

• Honywood School, Colchester - 22 classrooms must be closed with immediate effect, with some pupils to do online learning and a rota system for year groups in school

• Jerounds Primary School, Harlow - RAAC was detected in the school's kitchen, but it is being strengthened by a steel structure and the school will stay open

• The Link School, Beddington - The secondary site is temporarily closed but the school hopes to reopen to pupils on Monday, 11 September

• Katherines Primary Academy, Harlow - The main building is closed

• Kingsdown School, Southend-on-Sea - The school for children aged from three to 14 years old has been told to close its main building

• Mayflower Primary School, Leicester - The school found out it was affected by RAAC before the summer holidays

• Myton School, Warwick - The start of term has been delayed

• Northampton International Academy - The use of the top floor, including 18 classrooms, has been restricted. The sixth-form area and new staff room are closed while survey work is carried out

• Our Lady's Catholic High School, Preston - The school is closed on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 September

• Outwoods Primary School, Atherstone - Work began earlier this year to install support as a precaution, but the school will remain open

• Parks Primary, Leicester - Back in May, the school had to relocate several classes and borrow rooms from other institutions after the discovery of RAAC

• Pershore High School, Worcestershire - A temporary building currently housing a drama teaching space and costume store has been taken out of use, meaning drama lessons will be moved

• Ramsey Academy, Halstead - Four classrooms have been vacated and are out of use until safety measures are in place

• Ravens Academy, Clacton-On-Sea - The school will be closed on 5 and 6 September

• Roding Valley High School, Loughton - School dinners are being impacted, with the canteen staff only able to cater for children on free school meals. On Thursday, September 7, Years 8, 9 and 10 will be learning from home, while Years 11, 12 and 13, will move to home learning for Friday, September 8

• Scalby School, Scarborough - The school will not reopen until Monday 11 September and reopening is likely to be a mix of face-to-face and online home learning

• St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green - The school is not reopening for the first week of term as planned

• St Bartholomew's Catholic Primary School, Kent - The hall is shut but the headteacher has written to parents to say the rest of the school is safe. Hot lunches will be prepared in the school kitchen and served in classrooms

• St Bede's Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, County Durham - Parts of the school building are out of use

• St Benet's Catholic Primary School, Ouston - The school is temporarily closed while emergency measures are put in place

• St Bernard's School, Bolton - The school will open on Thursday 7 September, but only if safety work is completed in time - otherwise it could reopen on Monday 11 September

• St Clere's School, Stanford-le-Hope - Parts of the school need to close, with some pupils to learn from home

• St Francis Catholic Primary School, Ascot - Temporary marquee classrooms are expected on the school field, with the hall and kitchen set to be relocated there in the next phase of work, before the proper temporary classrooms become functional on 6 October

• St Gregory's Catholic Science College, Harrow - Work is being done to prop up the concrete and the issue is expected to be resolved by Tuesday

• St James Catholic Primary School, Hebburn - The school has been vacated, and staff are finalising alternative arrangements

• St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Sunderland - The school will be closed on Tuesday 5 September

• St Leonard's School, Durham - The school will not be able to open as planned

• St Teresa's Catholic Primary School, Darlington - The school is closed until 11 September

• St Thomas More Catholic Comprehensive, Eltham - The school is open but parts of the hall, gym, canteen, drama studio, and girls' and boys' toilets are closed

• St William of York Catholic Primary School, Bolton - Some classes will have to temporarily relocate to other parts of the school. The school hopes to open to as many pupils as possible on Monday, 11 September

• Tendring Technology College, Frinton Campus, Essex - Some year groups will start term later, on 11 September

• Thameside Primary School, Essex -  A significant number of teaching spaces are impacted and the opening has been delayed until 11 September

• Thomas Lord Audley School, Colchester- Areas within the science and maths departments have been deemed unsafe and 10 of 47 classrooms are not in use

• Thurstable School and Sixth Form, Essex - There will be remote learning on Wednesday 6 September with no students in school On Thursday 7 September only Year 7 will be in school, and on Friday 8 September Years 7, 11, 12 and 13 will be in school with remote learning for other years

• Waddesdon School, Buckinghamshire - Years 9, 10, 11 and 13 will be taught from home, while years 7, 8 and 12 can attend as planned

• White Hall Academy primary, Clacton, Essex - The school is carrying out surveys and parents were told on Friday there will be three non-teaching days

• Willowbrook Mead Primary Academy, Leicester - The school plans to send children from different year groups to two different schools and give older children home-schooling

• Winter Gardens Academy, Canvey Island - Parts of the school are to be vacated with immediate effect

• Wood Green Academy, Wednesbury - Some classrooms will be closed until October

• Woodville Primary School, South Woodham Ferrers, Chelmsford - The school is closed until 11 September

• Wyburns Primary School, Rayleigh - The school could be closed for up to two weeks

What will happen if your child's school is closed?

If your child's school is closed, it will get in touch with you directly to let you know what the arrangements are for pupils. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said on Thursday 31 August that affected schools would be contacting parents, adding: "If you don't hear, don't worry."

Meanwhile, schools minister Nick Gibb told Sky News on 1 September that the "vast majority" of schools affected by RAAC have now been informed, saying at the time, "We have been calling them yesterday, but there are a few more that we’re calling today, and those schools are now talking to parents about what’s going to happen in their school."

If your child's school is forced to close, pupils may be moved to emergency or longer-term temporary accommodation in a different area of the school, or they may temporarily be sent to a nearby school that is remaining open. Other schools are making arrangements for home learning to take place or delaying the start date of the new term.

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What are your rights if your child's school is closed?

Many employers are flexible with staff who have to care for their children due to unexpected circumstances and, according to the Citizens Advice Bureau, you have the right to unpaid leave.

So, employees are allowed to take time off work to look after their children if it's necessary, but may not be paid for this. It's worth checking your workplace policy or speaking to HR to check, as some employers might grant a certain amount of paid leave.

What is RAAC?

RAAC stands for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and it is a lightweight form of concrete that is often found in roofs and some walls of public buildings that were constructed between the 1950s and mid-1990s.

The Government website explains: "RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete. The Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS) has noted that: 'Although called 'concrete', (RAAC) is very different from traditional concrete and, because of the way in which it was made, much weaker.

"RAAC was used in schools, colleges and other building construction from the 1950s until the mid-1990s. It may therefore be found in any school and college building (educational and ancillary) that was either built or modified in this time period."

RAAC is made from a combination of cement, lime, water, and an aeration agent. The mixture is poured into moulds and then subjected to high pressure and heat, known as autoclaving, to create a lightweight, strong, and porous material.

Experts say the building material is less durable than reinforced concrete and deteriorates over time, meaning it has a life expectancy of little more than 30 years. Therefore, buildings constructed from the 1950s to the 1990s that have not been checked by structural engineers are at risk of collapse.

Concerns of the use of the material in schools were first highlighted in 2018, when the roof of a primary school in Kent collapsed 24 hours after signs of structural stress began to appear.

Why was RAAC used?

RAAC was initially seen as a material that was cheap and easy to produce, but still a robust way of constructing buildings. It wasn't until 1999 that a report from the Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS) urged schools with pre-1980 RAAC-plank roofs to be inspected.

Years later, in 2018, the roof of Singlewell Primary in Gravesend, Kent collapsed because of RAAC failing. Thankfully it occurred on a weekend when no one was present, but this prompted a SCOSS alert in May 2019 urging building owners to locate pre-1980 RAAC planks and assess their condition and structural safety.

In December 2022, the DfE listed the risk of school buildings collapsing as "very likely" and the issue was escalated to a group of top officials from across the government.

In the following months schools were assessed by surveyors, but in August 2023 it transpired that several schools identified as containing RAAC but previously believed to be safe had suddenly suffered structural failures.

If your child's school is unaffected, get prepped for the start of the new term with our Back to School Month. From the best school shoes to tips for navigating packed lunches with a fussy eater, we've got you covered.