Select committee: Education Committee
Conclusion 8
7th Report - Foundations of Learning: replacing RAAC and securing school buildings
Published 11 Feb 2026
Addressed to Department for Education
Education Committee Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and management of school estates All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The RAAC crisis highlighted a deeper, systemic issue: the ageing and fragile condition of England’s school estate. RAAC is not the only issue of concern within the wider school estate. While we welcome the Government’s commitment to publish a long-term strategy and its recent steps to improve standards and oversight, the evidence is clear that incremental fixes will not suffice. A significant proportion of school buildings are beyond their design life, and the risks though managed remain real. (Conclusion, Paragraph 48)
From: Education Committee, 7th Report - Foundations of Learning: replacing RAAC and securing school buildings (HC 1399), 11 February 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 17 April 2026 (deadline 11 April 2026).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government accepts some of the Committee's recommendations, partially accepts others and does not accept the call for a national digital asbestos register, and says it has already published the Education Estates Strategy.
- On asbestos, the government "do[es] not accept" a national digital register, saying it would duplicate existing information, require "significant resource" and could "undermine the active requirement on duty holders". HSE is exploring a census/survey approach, initially covering the central Government estate.
- It partially accepts the recommendations on risk surveys and on a long-term programme for system-built blocks. For the latter it states it does "not anticipate including any specific system or construction types as a matter of course".
- It accepts the recommendations on supporting responsible bodies, on data and on SEND inclusion. From autumn 2026 it will ask responsible bodies to make an annual return confirming they meet the School Estate Management Standards.
- On RAAC, it commits that by 2029 every school and college not being substantially rebuilt "will be RAAC-free". It will publish a summary of the Older Buildings Research technical findings "Before the summer".