Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of advice provided to Stepney All Saints School on 15 September 2023 in the context of information available (a) at the time and (b) subsequently; and if she will make a statement.

Nothing is more important than the safety of pupils and staff. It has always been the case that where the Department is made aware a building may pose an immediate risk, immediate action is taken.

Every school or college with confirmed RAAC is assigned dedicated support from our team of 80 caseworkers who work with them to assess what support is needed and implement mitigation plans that are right for them. A bespoke plan is put in place to ensure that each school and college receives the support that suits their circumstances. Project delivery teams are on site to support schools and colleges, whether that is finding short-term accommodation options or designing and putting in place structural solutions for affected spaces.

The Department will always put the safety and wellbeing of children and staff in education settings at the heart of its policy decisions. The Government has taken more proactive action to identify and mitigate RAAC in education settings than any other government in the UK, and the rest of the world.