Number of English schools with Raac rises to 174

The number of schools in England affected by crumbling concrete has increased to 174, new figures published by the government show.

The number stood at 147 as of 30 August, but has increased by 27 as of 14 September.

Officials said surveyors have been checking hundreds of schools every week for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, known as Raac.

Despite the increase in cases of confirmed Raac, more pupils in affected schools have been able to return to full-time face-to-face education since the first list was released.

A number of schools had to delay their September term restart as the Department for Education (DfE) told them to close areas where Raac was present.

But many of those have now been able to introduce mitigating measures to allow pupils back into school.

Only one setting still has pupils in full remote learning, down from four two weeks ago. Twenty-three settings are providing a mix of face-to-face and remote arrangements, up from 20 on 30 August.

There are no schools which remain closed following the summer holidays. In the first set of figures, there were 19 either closed or delaying the start of term due to Raac.

Raac is a lightweight material that was used mostly in flat roofing, but also in floors and walls, between the 1950s and 1990s. It is a cheaper alternative to standard concrete and has a lifespan of about 30 years.

MPs are due to question education officials on Tuesday about the disruption to schools and colleges.

Fay Arrundale's son Elliot attends Myton School in Warwick, but the secondary school has had to close part of its site because of Raac, and is now having different year groups attend in alternate weeks.

Year eight pupil Elliot logged on for his remote school day on Tuesday morning from his home, which is a short distance away from the school.

"It's quite annoying because it's only just there, so it is frustrating," he said.

"It's very different to being in school because it's a very different environment. [I miss] my friends, and I worry that if this goes on for too long I will be behind on my education.

"We won't learn much if we're just sat behind a screen."

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