00:00 September sees schools opening across the UK,
00:04 but after an 11th hour warning of some buildings being unsafe,
00:08 thousands of pupils aren't returning to their schools.
00:12 What is RAC and how has it impacted schools across the UK?
00:17 This is Decomplicated.
00:20 What is RAC?
00:22 Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAC,
00:26 is a lightweight alternative to standard concrete
00:29 that was used mostly in flat roofing,
00:31 but also in floors and walls across buildings
00:34 during the 1950s to 1990s.
00:38 But the aerated aspect of RAC means it's more susceptible
00:42 to structural failure when exposed to moisture
00:45 and has a vastly reduced lifespan to standard concrete of around 30 years.
00:51 What's being done about RAC?
00:54 The government has known since 1994 that some public sector buildings
00:59 contain potentially compromised RAC
01:01 and has been monitoring their conditions since 2018.
01:06 New guidance was issued in 2021 and 2022 about how to manage RAC
01:11 and the Department of Education asked various responsible bodies
01:15 to provide information about the use of RAC in schools across the country.
01:20 What we discovered over the summer as new evidence emerged,
01:23 there was a number of cases where in schools, but also in non-schools
01:28 and indeed outside England, where RAC that we thought was safe,
01:34 that was not critical in its condition, actually turned out to be unsafe.
01:39 There are over 22,000 schools and colleges in England
01:42 and the vast majority of them are unaffected by RAC.
01:45 Local authorities and multi-academy trusts are responsible for these buildings,
01:49 but we have been supporting schools and colleges
01:51 to ensure risks resulting from RAC are mitigated.
01:54 To date, 52 schools and colleges have these mitigations in place.
01:58 The majority have been able to continue to provide face-to-face learning
02:02 without any disruption and we remain in contact with them.
02:06 Although a large majority of educational facilities
02:09 utilise concrete between the 50s to the 90s,
02:13 the Department of Education initially identified 104 schools and colleges
02:18 that would need to close their affected buildings in some capacity,
02:22 just as students are set to return after the summer holidays.
02:26 Well, 52 schools and colleges have already taken protective measures
02:34 and will not need to shut.
02:36 Schools that have little RAC present will have less substantial closures,
02:41 with some requiring as little as a single classroom
02:44 to be closed for refurbishing.
02:47 The use of RAC was not only confined to school buildings, however,
02:52 meaning that the crisis could further deepen
02:55 as other public buildings and hospitals are checked
02:58 for how much RAC was used in their construction.
03:01 The scale of the problem is much bigger than schools.
03:04 It also covers much of the building stock in the country,
03:08 not all, but a proportion of it.
03:10 This includes education, but also health,
03:14 but also defence, justice, local government, national government
03:18 and also a lot of the private sector.
03:20 [Music plays]
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