it seems like raac can ha en facing. it seems like raac can happen like — facing. like that. have - facing. it seems like raac can happen like that. have you - facing. it seems like raac can - happen like that. have you concerns about children going back to school and the school is not necessarily in this 100? i and the school is not necessarily in this 100? ., _, . ., ., this 100? i am concerned about what we are seeing _ this 100? i am concerned about what we are seeing because _ this 100? i am concerned about what we are seeing because as _ this 100? i am concerned about what we are seeing because as you - this 100? i am concerned about what we are seeing because as you just i we are seeing because as you just heard, a school faced serious collapse in 2018. mercifully, that was over a weekend. i am concerned about the risk to children and staff. it about the risk to children and staff. , ., . , about the risk to children and staff. , ., ., , ., ., staff. it is totally inadequate. the government _ staff. it is totally inadequate. the government is _ staff. it is

so what is reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or raac?ghtweight, bubbly concrete used widely from the 1950s to 1990s. usually in roofs, sometimes in walls and floors. it is weaker than traditional concrete and it's past its life span. in essex, this school closed injune. the roof is made from raac. concerns were raised in 2018 when a roof collapsed elsewhere. so, why wait until now to tell schools to act? to school leaders and teachers preparing to start the new year next week in most cases, for children expected to come back to school, it feels incredibly last—minute, it feels rather shambolic if i'm honest. this dodgy concrete is in some hospitals, too. ceilings popped up to keep them working. last year the health secretary repeated a promise to remove it. there are huge concerns about issues in terms of the raac concrete used in certain hospitals which needs urgent attention. for the affected schools, it is now a race against the start of term working out how to keep children learning and safe. branwen is here. why has all of this emer

in essex, the school roof is made from raac. suddenly injune this year, but concerns were first raised about this concrete in 2018. so why is it taken until now to warn so many schools? , , . , , schools? this is incredibly last-minute, _ schools? this is incredibly last-minute, you - schools? this is incredibly last-minute, you know, i schools? this is incredibly l last-minute, you know, this schools? this is incredibly - last-minute, you know, this is last—minute, you know, this is something that has been known about for a long time. ok, the advice may have changed, but to school leaders and teachers, you know, preparing to start the new year next week in most cases for children expecting to come back to school, it feels incredibly last—minute, it feels rather shambolic, if i'm honest. last-minute, it feels rather shambolic, if i'm honest. several hundred more _ shambolic, if i'm honest. several hundred more schools _ shambolic, if i'm honest. several hundred more schools are - shambolic, if i'm honest. several hundred more sc

is a special type of concrete, the name| special type of concrete, the name explains it well it is raaconcrete so it is similar to normal concrete made of cement which makes it hard and gives it strength. but it hard and gives it strength. but it is a different type of concrete to normal concrete. used properly, it is very good and has been around for a number of years in the vast majority of it has been around 50 years and very structurally sound. it is a small amount of it that has not been well maintained over the years and that has caused some problems. years and that has caused some roblems. , years and that has caused some problems-— years and that has caused some roblems. , ., ., ., problems. tell us a little more of wh we problems. tell us a little more of why we should — problems. tell us a little more of why we should have _ problems. tell us a little more of why we should have this - problems. tell us a little more of why we should have this quite . why we should have this quite immediate concern raised and at this stage, you say it has been around for decades? it stage, you