Schools that miss concrete survey deadline won’t be ‘named and shamed’
T
he Department for Education (DfE) has backed off plans to “name and shame” colleges that miss a Friday deadline to return a survey about potential crumbling concrete of their buildings.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan had this week urged the 5% of faculties, or the our bodies accountable for them, to fill out the questionnaire.
An electronic mail was additionally despatched on Monday night by schooling minister Baroness Barran to the accountable our bodies for colleges that had not accomplished the strengthened autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) survey, calling on them to reply by September 8 on the newest.
That electronic mail warned that the DfE would “likely … be required to publish information about schools which have Raac, schools which do not, and schools where there is still uncertainty”.
But on Friday, the DfE stated it will not publish a listing of faculties that haven’t accomplished the survey.
The division initially instructed it will launch the proportion of faculties that failed to reply, however later stated it will not even make this data public.
The transfer had sparked claims that it was an try and “name and shame” colleges.
It prompted a backlash from faculty leaders and commerce unions, with claims that some academy belief and college officers who’ve been urged by ministers to return the Government’s questionnaire had submitted the types many months in the past.
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Head Teachers have each questioned whether or not there might be errors throughout the division’s report conserving.
ASCL normal secretary Geoff Barton stated: “We understand that education minister Baroness Barran has now given an assurance that ‘responsible bodies’ will not be named publicly over supposedly unreturned surveys.
“This assurance has been given after it emerged that many of them have in fact returned these surveys several months ago – and in some cases on repeated occasions – but the Department for Education’s records are inaccurate.
“However, we have not had this assurance directly given to us and we remain concerned. The Government’s handling of the Raac crisis has been utterly shambolic.”
The Government stays beneath strain over the concrete disaster, with considerations in regards to the state of faculty buildings sparking nervousness in regards to the presence of Raac in different publicly-owned buildings and infrastructure.
A DfE spokesperson stated: “We are incredibly grateful to school and college leaders for their work with us at pace to minimise disruption to children’s education.
“We continue to urge all responsible bodies to complete the Raac questionnaire as we rely on this information to enable us to take swift action.
“It is vitally important we receive this information as quickly as possible and the department will support any responsible bodies who need additional help completing it.”