INSPECTIONS have shown that there are 16 council areas in Scotland which have identified schools as containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
The Scottish Government said that local authorities are carrying out inspections of school buildings to identify the presence of RAAC, with councils having the responsibility of ensuring schools are safe for pupils, staff, and all their users.
Ministers have been clear to councils that the inspections must be carried out as a matter of the ‘highest priority’ and have offered assistance to local authorities in the matter where appropriate.
The Scottish Government added that, where RAAC has been identified, councils have assured it that mitigations are in place in accordance with guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers.
The schools currently impacted are in the following council areas, Aberdeen City; Aberdeenshire; Argyll and Bute; City of Edinburgh; Dumfries and Galloway; Dundee City; East Ayrshire; Glasgow City; Highland; Inverclyde; Moray; North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Perth and Kinross; and West Lothian.
Education secretary Jenny Gilruth said, “The Scottish Government has been actively engaging with local authority partners, who have statutory responsibility for school buildings in Scotland, for some time.
“It is important that there is transparency around the schools where RAAC has been identified and mitigations in place. Local authorities were asked to publish by today the data relating to impacted schools in their area given the seriousness of this issue and to ensure this data is freely available. I hope this provides reassurance to parents, carers, staff and pupils who may be concerned about the presence of RAAC in their learning facilities. I also expect the local authorities still to publish to do so as a matter of urgency.
“Currently half of Scotland’s local authorities have identified RAAC in schools. COSLA has confirmed that safety is their central consideration and that there is robust guidance that is followed by every local authority to ensure that those buildings are safe to be in for pupils, staff and the public. This is in line with the existing guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers who have advised us they do not believe there is sufficient grounds to update their advice.”
