Some schools affected by concrete safety fears not yet contacted – and minister unsure how many will shut

Published

2 years ago

September 1, 2023

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Not all schools impacted by concrete safety fears have been contacted and it is not clear how many will have to shut fully, a minister has admitted.

Schools minister Nick Gibb said in most cases “just a few buildings” or rooms within the affected schools will have to shut but “in some cases it will be the whole school”.

Asked whether all affected schools have been contacted, Mr Gibb told Sky News: “The vast majority have, we’ve been calling them yesterday. But there is a few more that we’re calling today.”

However, asked for a number on the full closures, he said: “We don’t know yet.”

The government announced on Thursday that around 104 schools or “settings” in England found with concrete prone to collapse are set to be closed or disrupted – on top of 52 that have already been affected this year.

Labour is calling on ministers to “come clean” and publish the full list of schools that will be impacted, as they have not yet been publicly named.

Mr Gibb said the government intended to do that “in due course” but he wanted parents to be informed by the school before they read about it in the media.

He also suggested more schools could be affected as not all building surveys have been completed.

The type of concrete forcing the closures is Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete, known as RAAC.

Ministers are facing questions over why they made the announcement just days before the start of the new school term.

Minister ‘doesn’t know’ how many schools will have to close – politics latest

What is Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete?

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete – handily shortened to RAAC – is essentially a lightweight form of concrete.

It was used to build roofs, schools, colleges and other buildings from the 1950s until the mid-1990s, according to GOV.UK.

In comparison to traditional concrete, RAAC is weaker. It is made in factories using fine aggregate, with chemicals to create gas bubbles and heat.

Both the material properties and structural behaviour differs significantly from traditional reinforced concrete.

In 2019, the Standing Committee on Structural Safety highlighted the significant risk of failure of RAAC planks.

Three years later in 2022, the Office of Government Property sent a safety briefing notice to all property leaders, saying that “RAAC is now life-expired and liable to collapse”.

Chris Goodier, professor of construction engineering and materials at Loughborough University, said: “It is RAAC from the 1950s, 60s and 70s that is of main concern, especially if it has not been adequately maintained.

“RAAC examples have been found with bearings (supports) which aren’t big enough, and RAAC with the steel reinforcement in the wrong place, both of which can have structural implications.”

Mr Gibb said “new evidence” over the safety of RAAC emerged over the summer which prompted the government to change its guidance.

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Pupils will be out of school ‘for short period’

Previously remediation was required when the RAAC was in critical condition, but Mr Gibb said the Department for Education (DfE) is now taking the “cautious approach” that all RAAC should be removed.

Mr Gibb said: “In most cases it will be just a few buildings or a few rooms, or just a cupboard. But in some cases it will be the whole school. And in those circumstances we will be finding alternative accommodation.”

He insisted in cases where schools need to shut, children will only be out of face-to-face education for a “short period of time” – for an average of about six days.

And he said all costs of the remediation will be covered by the government.

“We’ve made it very clear we will cover all capital costs,” Mr Gibb said.

“So if in the worst-case scenario, we need portacabins in the school estate for an alternative accommodation, we will cover all those costs.”

Schools minister left parents with four key unanswered questions

Mhari Aurora

Politics and business correspondent

@MhariAurora

As schools scramble to put new safety measures in place, many parents will be asking why it has taken the government so long to wake up to the gravity of this problem.

Education minister Nick Gibb told Sky News the government was taking a cautious approach to the problem of RAAC (reinforced aerated autoclaved concrete) in schools.

However, many would question the sincerity of those comments as the government has known about the risks of this type of concrete for years and was even told in September 2022 that the material was life-expired and liable to collapse.

Although Mr Gibb clarified that government will be paying for alternative accommodation for schools where necessary and that it would publish the full list of affected schools in due course, he left parents with four key questions.

Firstly, how many schools will have to close entirely? The minister couldn’t answer that question despite speculation it could be as many as 30.

Second, are all schools safe? Mr Gibb insisted they were, but the government is yet to receive all the data on RAAC in schools as not all schools have been checked.

Thirdly, although Mr Gibb guaranteed the list of affected schools would be published, he did not go as far as to say when that would be – leaving parents worried their children’s schools could be affected without them knowing.

And finally, the minister explained that not all schools impacted by RAAC had been informed yet, meaning there are schools that remain in the dark about whether they may need to be fully or partially closed.

With term beginning in a matter of days, the timing of these revelations come at a moment when Rishi Sunak and his government were hoping for a reset.

Mini reshuffle completed and refreshed from parliamentary recess, Mr Sunak will be frustrated by this false start ahead of the return to schools and Westminster.

Government ‘not being truthful’

Labour condemned the government for delay and inaction.

Shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said safety concerns about RAAC have been known for years and blamed the issue on Tory “incompetence and neglect”.

He told Sky News: “We know, and so do government ministers, that five years ago in 2018, there was a school in Gravesend in North Kent that collapsed because it had this kind of concrete.

“They had a report from the Department for Education itself just last December telling them the situation was critical at that point.

“In the last two years, my colleague Bridget Phillipson (shadow education secretary) has raised this issue in questions and debates in parliament over 150 times.

“So if they’re telling you they didn’t know this was a problem, they’re not being truthful and they should have taken action the beginning of the summer holidays.”

UK

One of two prisoners mistakenly released hands himself in

Published

4 mins ago

November 6, 2025

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One of two prisoners mistakenly released hands himself in

One of the two prisoners mistakenly freed from HMP Wandsworth has handed himself in.

William “Billy” Smith, 35, was wrongly freed from the prison earlier this week but, after a three-day manhunt, Surrey Police have confirmed he handed himself in on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the search for sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif continues. He was also mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth on 29 October.

Smith was sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences at Croydon Crown Court on Monday, but was mistakenly released later the same day.

Sky News understands that his release came about because of a court error, telling the prison his custodial sentence was a suspended one instead.

A correction was initially sent to the wrong person, and by the time it got to the right place, he had left.

Surrey Police said: “We are cancelling our appeal to help find wanted 35-year-old William Smith who was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Monday, November 3. Smith handed himself in to HMP Wandsworth today.”

Smith seen waving and smiling

He was filmed returning to the prison by ITV News. Footage showed Smith waving and smiling as he approached the prison’s entrance, where he then spoke to staff.

Justice Secretary David Lammy, who came under fire while standing in for Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs, posted a response on X: “William Smith is back in custody. The spike in mistaken releases is unacceptable.

“We’re modernising prison systems – replacing paper with digital tools to cut errors. We’re working with police to recapture Brahim Kaddour-Cherif.”

Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said prison chiefs were being summoned for a meeting on Thursday and a team of digital experts had been tasked with overhauling the “archaic” paper-based system of prisoner records.

The Prison Governors’ Association (PGA) described releases in error as “neither rare nor hidden”, but said the scale of them was “deeply concerning”.

In total, 262 prisoners were released in error in the year leading up to March 2025.

Hunt for second prisoner

The Metropolitan Police has continued to appeal to the public over the whereabouts of Kaddour-Cherif, 24, who the force believes is still in London just over a week after his release.

“He is believed to be in London and has links to Tower Hamlets and Westminster. If you see him, please call 999 immediately,” the Met said on social media.

The Algerian national was in the process of being deported after he overstayed his visa. It is understood he is not an asylum seeker.

He was serving a sentence at Wandsworth for trespass with intent to steal, but had previously also been convicted for indecent exposure.

His release came just five days after the high-profile release of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu from HMP Chelmsford in Essex.

UK

Man who killed ‘Good Samaritan’ after ploughing into him with car during wedding brawl jailed

Published

4 mins ago

November 6, 2025

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Man who killed 'Good Samaritan' after ploughing into him with car during wedding brawl jailed

A man who murdered a “Good Samaritan” by driving into the middle of a wedding brawl has been sentenced to 26 years in prison.

Hassan Jhangur has been jailed for murder after he ran into Chris Marriott, 46, in his car, leaving him trapped beneath.

Jhangur used his Seat Ibiza as a weapon after a fight between two families at his sister’s wedding reception on 27 December 2023.

He first drove into Riasat Khan, the father of Hasan Khan – the man who had just married Jhangur’s sister following a row between the families.

The impact threw him over the bonnet, then he crashed into a group of four people that included Mr Marriott.

Mr Marriott had stopped to help one of Jhangur’s sisters, who was lying in the road unconscious in the Burngreave area of Sheffield.

Off-duty midwife Alison Norris and Jhangur’s mother and sister were also injured, Sheffield Crown Court was told in July.

Jhangur, 25, then got out of the car and stabbed his new brother-in-law Hasan several times in the head and chest.

The court heard Jhangur later told police: “That’s why you don’t mess with the Jhangurs.”

In July, he was found guilty of murdering Mr Marriott a year after another set of jurors failed to reach a verdict.

Jhangur was also found guilty of wounding his brother-in-law with intent but cleared of his attempted murder.

He was further convicted of four charges of GBH with intent, relating to Alison Norris, Ambreen Jhangur, Nafeesa Jhangur and Riasat Khan.

Today, the judge told him: “This was a deliberate and senseless act of hot-headed and wanton violence resulting in the tragic death of Chris Marriott and life-changing consequences for many others.”

Jhangur’s father, Mohammed Jhangur, 57, of Whiteways Road, Sheffield, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice after he concealed a knife.

Mr Marriott’s widow, Bryony Marriott, wiped away tears as she read a personal statement to the court about the father-of-two.

‘He had a compassionate heart and loved helping’

She said: “Chris was genuine, kind and loving. He was reliable, trustworthy, affectionate and gentle.”

Mrs Marriott added: “Chris was someone people felt comfortable and safe with, and was great at being a friend.

“Chris was a man of faith, and his love for God and for people shone through in what he devoted his time to.

“He had a compassionate heart and loved helping, supporting and empowering others.”

UK

Expensive, noisy and delayed – but is the Army’s new fighting vehicle any good?

Published

4 mins ago

November 6, 2025

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Expensive, noisy and delayed - but is the Army's new fighting vehicle any good?

Expensive, noisy and eight years late, but the British Army finally has a new armoured fighting vehicle that troops could deploy to Ukraine in the event of any peace deal.

The nearly £10m Ajax – weighing more than 40 tonnes – is as heavy as a Russian tank and potentially vulnerable to cheap Russian drones.

Yet it is being billed by the UK as a “next generation” fighting machine, equipped with cameras, protective armour and a 40mm gun, with bullets that can rip through concrete.

Luke Pollard, the defence procurement minister, talked up the fleet’s potential while acknowledging that the £5.5bn procurement has had its issues.

This includes excessive noise and vibrations coming from the vehicles that left 17 soldiers requiring treatment for hearing loss.

“It is an incredible platform. It has got the ability to perform tasks that its predecessors could not,” the minister said, having just gone for a spin in an Ajax during a visit to a General Dynamics factory in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, where the vehicles are being assembled.

“After all the problems it may have had in the past, we have put those to bed now.”

The Ministry of Defence on Thursday declared what is known as initial operating capability for Ajax has been met.

It defined this as the ability to deploy a squadron of 27 vehicles on operations from a pool of 50. The total number of delivered Ajax vehicles is 165.

They come in six variants, with the main type designed for reconnaissance and fighting.

The army has ordered a total of 589 of the various models, which it expects to receive by 2030.

It marks the first new armoured fighting vehicle to enter service in almost 30 years and is replacing ageing gear that dates back to the 1970s.

Launched more than a decade and a half ago, the Ajax programme was meant to achieve its initial operating milestone in 2017, but this date has been repeatedly pushed back.

The most serious delay occurred when testing was paused after soldiers suffered hearing and other injuries because of loud noise and vibrations coming from the vehicles.

It is why anyone who uses Ajax today must wear specially secured hearing protection.

So, what’s it like?

Sky News was among a group of journalists that were invited to ride around on one of the vehicles at a test track on the factory grounds.

The vehicle is very loud – though soldiers said this would not impact its ability to conduct its primary mission of reconnaissance.

They said Ajax is fitted with clever cameras and sensors that can spot a target up to five miles (eight kilometres) away.

However, there is clearly the potential for enemy drones to detect the Ajax in return if it were pushing towards enemy territory in a warzone like Ukraine.

The vehicle’s armour is designed to protect against such a threat. But officials said the fleet has yet to be fitted with electronic countermeasures, even though this kind of equipment is fundamental for any operation in Ukraine to help jam enemy drones.

When could it be deployed to Ukraine?

The UK, France and a coalition of more than 30 allies have pledged to deploy to Ukraine to help secure the peace if Kyiv and Moscow agree to some kind of ceasefire – a goal Donald Trump has been trying to achieve, but one that seems vanishingly unlikely for now.

However, Mr Pollard signalled that Ajax could be in the mix of any British offering to the mission.

“We’re not yet setting out precisely what capabilities we would deploy to Ukraine in the event of peace, largely because we don’t know when that peace will come, and we keep our military units at a state of readiness, and we rotate through them,” he told Sky News.

“But when we have the ability to deploy incredibly capable platforms like Ajax and the brilliant men and women trained to use it to its fullest effect.

“There’s a clear opportunity for us to be able to enhance NATO’s capabilities on the eastern flank and any coalition of the willing deployment potentially in the future.”

Lance Corporal of Horse Andrew Rawlinson, 32, of the Household Cavalry Regiment, who is an Ajax commander, said he would be happy to deploy to Ukraine if asked.

“The squadron that I work in, they’re all good to go,” he said.

“We’ve been training on it now non-stop pretty much for a good two years to get to the IOC [initial operating capability] level and I think everyone’s content, knows their jobs and would be happy to roll out.”

Asked whether Russia should be worried, he said: “Yeah, sure.”