PM says it is ‘fully mistaken’ to recommend he slashed funding for college rebuilding as chancellor

Rishi Sunak stated it’s “completely and utterly wrong” to recommend he’s in charge for failing to totally fund a programme to rebuild England’s crumbling faculties.

The prime minister dismissed claims about his file as chancellor as he acknowledged tons of extra faculties in England might be affected by unsafe concrete.

Thousands of pupils face disruption firstly of time period this week following an order to totally or partially shut 104 faculties due to issues about strengthened autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which is vulnerable to collapse.

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Pupils face being taught in non permanent lecture rooms, on totally different websites and even compelled into pandemic-style distant classes.

In his first feedback because the debacle emerged, Mr Sunak stated that 95% of England’s faculties have been unaffected, leaving open the chance that greater than a thousand may nonetheless be impacted by issues over RAAC.

He stated: “Of course I know the timing is frustrating, but I want to give people a sense of the scale of what we are grappling with here: there are around 22,000 schools in England and the important thing to know is that we expect that 95% of those schools won’t be impacted by this.”

If, as Mr Sunak stated, 5% of faculties are impacted, that might imply 1,100 are affected.

However, the prime minister’s official spokesman advised the protection points will not be as widespread as that.

He advised reporters: “I think the prime minister was providing reassurance to parents, pupils and schools that the vast majority – we believe more than 95% – won’t be affected.”

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The authorities issued a final minute warning to colleges about RAAC after a beam beforehand regarded as protected collapsed.

Previously steerage had said RAAC must be eliminated the place it’s in essential situation, however now ministers say all RAAC must be eliminated.

Concerns in regards to the materials – which was extensively used from the Fifties to mid-Nineteen Nineties – have been raised for years.

Earlier Jonathan Slater, who was secretary on the Department for Education (DfE) from May 2016 to August 2020, claimed the Treasury had failed to totally fund college rebuilding schemes – together with throughout Mr Sunak’s time on the helm.

He stated he was “absolutely amazed” {that a} resolution was made after he left the division to halve the varsity rebuilding programme.

Mr Slater stated as much as 400 faculties a yr should be changed, however the DfE obtained funding for 100 whereas he was the senior official.

Mr Slater stated there was a “critical” threat to life in some faculties.

He advised BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The actual ask in the Spending Review of 2021 was to double the 100 to 200 – that’s what we thought was going to be practical at first instance.

“I believed we might get it, however the precise resolution that the chancellor took in 2021 was to halve the scale of the programme.”

But asked if he was to blame for the concrete crisis, Mr Sunak said: “I believe that’s fully and totally mistaken.

“Actually, one of the first things I did as chancellor in my first spending review in 2020 was to announce a new 10-year school re-building programme for 500 schools.

“Now that equates to about 50 faculties a yr, that can be refurbished or rebuilt.

“If you look at what we have been doing over the previous decade, that’s completely in line with what we have always done.”

PM ‘placing lives in danger’

However, Labour insisted Mr Sunak “bears huge culpability for his role in this debacle” – saying funding for rebuilding faculties has been slashed through the years.

Analysis printed by the occasion discovered that spending on college rebuilding between 2019 and 2020 was at £765m, however this fell to £560m the next yr.

Spending dropped once more to £416m in 2021 to 2022, the occasion stated.

Bridget Phillipson, the shadow training secretary, stated: “The defining image of 13 years of the Conservative-run education system will be children sat under steel girders to stop the roof falling in.

“Rishi Sunak bears enormous culpability for his position on this debacle: he doubled down on Michael Gove’s resolution to axe Labour’s faculties rebuilding programme and now the chickens have come residence to roost – with but extra disruption to youngsters’s training.”

The Department for Education has up to now refused to say which faculties are affected.

‘Extra cash’ can be out there – Sunak

On Monday Education Secretary Gillian Keegan vowed to publish an inventory of the faculties affected by the concrete disaster this week.

She additionally sought to make clear issues round prices, insisting her division can pay for repairs and non permanent lodging.

Ms Keegan couldn’t say how a lot the DfE will finally must ringfence – however admitted the concrete disaster will probably price “many many millions”.

Despite each Ms Keegan and Treasury sources suggesting the cash will come from the DfE’s present price range, Mr Sunak stated “extra money” can be made out there.

Mr Sunak stated: “The Chancellor has been crystal clear that schools will be given extra money for these mitigations, it won’t come from their existing school budgets.”