: ...The Association of
School and College Leaders has pointed out that
parents are taking their children out of those schools that are
affected by RAAC over concerns about disruption to their
education and a lack of access to facilities such as science
labs. Schools affected by the RAAC crisis are seeing their school
rolls drop. Not only are current numbers of pupils dropping, but
RAAC-affected schools are reporting reduced admission
applications for this coming September. Given that pupil numbers
are one of the ways the Government determine funding, will the
Minister consider what financial support or protections can be
put in place for these schools?
My final point is that the RAAC crisis is one part of what is a
much wider backlog of maintenance and repair that is desperately
needed across our school estate. I know that many noble Lords
will have heard this statistic quoted before: a National Audit
Office report from last year showed that there were around
700,000 children being taught in unsafe or ageing buildings.
Earlier this month, one primary school in Devon reported
temperatures being so low that children were keeping their gloves
and coats on during lessons—and this school did not even qualify
for any extra money for repairs.
The Association of
School and College Leaders has also called on the
Government to commit new money for the removal of RAAC, rather
than using money that was already set aside for buildings and is
desperately needed for the ongoing and already promised repairs
programme. I echo this call and ask the Minister to confirm that
schools identified as a priority for rebuilding for other issues,
not RAAC issues, will still be getting the funding they need
during the coming years...
(Lab):...As
noted previously, parents are taking their children out of
schools with dangerous concrete and sending them elsewhere. I
will give just one example: 100 families have asked a council to
move children from two Warwickshire schools affected by unsafe
building materials. ASCL said that an
unacceptable wait for mitigation works meant that parents were
starting to
“lose confidence … and vote with their feet”...
To read the whole debate, OPEN HERE
