Our children deserve safe school buildings, says Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU teachers’ union
The situation with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in schools is a national scandal. But “crumbly concrete” is just the tip of the iceberg. Many buildings affected by RAAC also contain deadly asbestos.
The crisis highlights chronic under-funding of school buildings, which has left many unsafe and unfit for purpose. Aside from crumbly concrete, there are a myriad of other structural problems such as leaking roofs or collapsing ceilings – plus overcrowded classrooms, mould, damp, and insufficient learning resources, spaces and equipment.
Staff struggle every day with inadequate school buildings – and the nation’s children lose out. That is why the NEU has launched a campaign for action to ensure the school estate is upgraded and made safe for the 21st century.
We have joined eight other unions and the school governors’ association, NGA, to press prime minister Sunak to set aside at least £4.4 billion in this year’s autumn statement to fix our schools – and to continue that increase until we reach the £7 billion yearly spend recommended by the Department for Education’s own officials.
We have launched a petition calling for the increase and greater transparency in how the government deals with the problem of crumbling schools. Please add your weight to our call by signing our petition and asking your family and friends to do the same.
