At least 37 Scottish schools have dangerous concrete in place

Freedom of information requests submitted by Scottish Liberal Democrats reveal that at least 37 Scottish schools are using a dangerous form of concrete responsible for the collapse of a school roof in Kent, including 9 in Dumfries & Galloway, 7 in Aberdeen, 6 in Clackmannanshire and 5 in West Lothian.

There are also 2 schools in each of Dundee, Highland and North Lanarkshire, and 1 school in each of Aberdeenshire, Argyll & Bute, East Lothian and Perth & Kinross at which the concrete is confirmed to be in use.

Investigations are still ongoing in Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire, Falkirk, North Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire.

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) is a light and bubbly form of precast concrete, frequently used in public sector buildings in the UK from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s.

A document published by the Department for Education in December 2022 stated that RAAC panels "increase the risk of structural failure, which can be gradual or sudden with no warning" and that "sudden failure of RAAC panels in roofs, eaves, floors, walls and cladding systems would be dangerous and the consequences serious".

Meanwhile the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation has issued a warning notice noting that RAAC has a low compressive strength, around 10-20% of traditional concrete, as well as being at risk of water damage.  

Commenting on the figures uncovered by the party, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“Ministers need to leap into action to support schools and local authorities. Concerns about the use of this concrete have been in the public domain for years, yet many schools still don’t know if this is what is holding their roofs up.

“Given the warnings from the Department of Education in England, Scottish parents will want to know that their children will be safe when they go to school on Monday.

“Parents, pupils and teachers need to know exactly which schools have this chocolate aero-like concrete in place.

“The Scottish Government need to act to make sure every school is inspected and if this concrete is determined to be unsafe, action is taken swiftly to ensure that it is removed."