Responding to the Commons vote scheduled for today (Tuesday) by
Labour to attempt to force the Government to publish information
showing the location and extent of school buildings it has
admitted are “very likely” to collapse, Dr Patrick Roach,
General Secretary of the NASUWT-The Teachers’
Union, said:
“It is unacceptable for the Government to sit on vital
information that affects the day to day safety and welfare of
children, young people and staff working in schools.
“School staff and parents have a right to know if their schools
are at risk and what is being done to ensure the safety of their
schools.
“That we have a situation where some schools are at risk of
collapse is the result of years of chronic under-investment in
our education system and the school buildings estate by this
Government.
“Schools are now counting the cost of the Government’s reckless
decision a decade ago to abandon the Building Schools for the
Future programme. Rebuilding and refurbishment investment is at a
fraction of what is required to keep pupils and staff able to
learn and work safely.
“Recent funding announcements are simply insufficient to make up
for the decade plus of cuts and under-investment in the schools
estate.
“Ministers have a duty to reveal where these dangerous school
buildings are, explain what steps they are taking to urgently
make them safe and to commit to an investment programme that
means pupils and staff will never find their safety compromised
in this way again in future.”
