Primary schools account for 50% of RAAC-affected education establishment

The Government figures* how there were an estimated 234 education settings in England with confirmed RAAC. Of these, 117 were primary schools, accounting for 50% of the total. A further 91 were secondary schools, while the remaining affected sites comprised 16-plus education establishments, all-through schools, and other education settings. The DfE subsequently closed the list in October 2024, when the final confirmed total stood at 237. 

The East of England is the most impacted area of the country, accounting for 38% of RAAC-affected establishments. This is followed by the South East (14.1%), London (12.8%), and the North West (11.1%). 

The latest government update also shows that significant progress has been made in addressing the issue. 

According to the Department for Education, as of September 2025, over half of schools and colleges in which RAAC had been discovered were either fully free of it or on the path to removal. In this context, 53 schools had RAAC permanently removed, while 71 schools were being rebuilt through the School Rebuilding Programme, with more projects progressing through delivery. To date, RAAC has been removed from 62 schools and colleges. 

To support this work, the Government has spent £211 million on mitigation and remediation, covering emergency safety measures, temporary accommodation, structural surveys, grants, and ongoing repair and rebuilding programmes. 

Alongside these remediation efforts, the government has also changed how it reports on its progress. 

Rather than continuing to publish management information on the number of affected schools, recent updates have focused on remediation outcomes and the long-term resilience of the education estate. 

For schools and those responsible for managing property portfolios, this marks an important shift from identifying structural risks to evidencing that buildings are being properly monitored, maintained, and managed over time. 

Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Property Inspect , commented: 

“The RAAC crisis has shown that identifying a building defect is only the beginning. The real test is whether those responsible for an estate can show that the risk has been assessed, controlled, monitored and resolved. 

As schools move from emergency measures into long-term remediation, responsible bodies need an accurate and current picture of their buildings. They should be able to see where risks remain, what temporary measures are in place, when those measures were last reviewed and who is responsible for the next action. 

That evidence cannot be pieced together only when an auditor, regulator or governing board asks for it. Inspection findings, structural advice, photographs, approvals, repairs and proof of completion need to form one clear and traceable record. 

The Building Safety Act does not place the same formal golden-thread duties on every school, but it has raised expectations around how building safety information is recorded, maintained and used.

The latest school estate standards reflect the same principle. Good estate management is not simply about responding when something fails. It means understanding building condition, prioritising work according to risk and being able to show that important actions have not been missed. 

RAAC brought these issues into sharp focus, but the lesson applies across the public estate. Knowing that work has been completed is important. Being able to evidence what was identified, what was decided and how the risk was closed is what creates lasting confidence.” 

Data tables and sources

• *Number, type, and location of RAAC-affected education settings sourced from the UK government (237 as of 8th February 2024).

• Additional information sourced from House of Lords Library (UK Parliament), HSE, and UK Parliament: Foundations of Learning,

• Full data tables can be viewed online here