Re your article (Gillian Keegan tells education leaders to ‘get off backsides’ and answer Raac survey, 5 September), I’m a primary school site manager (a caretaker, in the old money) who filled one of these Department for Education spreadsheets out back in July. The relevant question read: “Are there visible concrete planks (Raac) in ceilings or walls to any of the school blocks? Answer yes, no or don’t know.”
I’ve been a site manager for 10 years now and had never heard of Raac. So, I answered “don’t know”. Because I didn’t know. Had I the structural engineering knowledge to confidently identify Raac, I would most probably be in a different field of employment and enjoying a somewhat larger salary.
Now, of course we’ve all heard of it. But I expect that the 5% of schools that the education secretary complains haven’t returned the survey will still most likely be answering “don’t know” anyway. They are going to need a surveyor to come in and inspect either way – as they did at my school.
So, with respect, I suggest – using the minister’s own parlance – that Gillian Keegan stops blaming everyone else, gets off her own arse and orders the required inspections before another ceiling collapses on to a classroom.
Mark Hosking
London
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