As with the inflammable cladding, our media is scrabbling for a story of crumbling schools, pupils at risk and SNP Government failure but there’s no story there, again.
From BBC UK
More than 100 schools have been told to shut areas affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) without safety measures in place.
It follows the collapse last week of a beam previously thought to be safe.
It is unclear how many schools have had to fully close, but it could be as many as 24.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66681702
There are plenty of vaguely scary headlines here, worded carefully to imply governmental neglect comparable at least to that in England but all they have are ‘calls’ by Alex Cole-Hamilton and other bandwagon-jumping LabCons and, as far as I can see, no Scottish schools ‘told’ to close.
On June 21, a Scottish Government Ministerial Working Group on Building and Fire Safety could report:
It was noted that local authorities are undertaking RAAC assessments of their school estates following guidance being shared by officials.
So, when Scottish schools reopened nearly two months later, local authorities and schools seem to have been ready to make sure pupils were not taught in areas at risk. All schools opened safely. The Minister said as much, in the Telegraph yesterday(!):
Scottish schools built with concrete that can crumble will not be shut down like those in England, the SNP education secretary has announced. Jenny Gilruth disclosed that 35 local authority Scottish schools had been found to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
The material is liable to crumble, especially if it becomes wet, and more than 100 schools and colleges in England have been ordered to fully or partially close thanks to the risk of collapse. But Ms Gilruth said schools would not be shut in Scotland and accused the UK Government of deviating from advice from the Institution of Structural Engineers. This states that RAAC should be replaced only if deemed to be in a poor condition and high risk and otherwise it can be managed in place.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scottish-schools-with-crumbling-concrete-won-t-be-shut-says-snp-minister/ar-AA1g6QC1
The Daily Telegraph is better on a Scottish topic than BBC Scotland, the Herald, the Scotsman…..?
Footnote:
Why are they having a panic down south? They privatised building safety inspections and reduced staffing so they don’t know if buildings are safe. We do.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
The Express led with this headline yesterday.
“Anger at Jenny Gilruth’s failure to act on Scotland’s dangerous schools built with unsafe concrete”
They then proceeded to scaremonger and accuse the Scottish Government of negligence, painting the UK situation as better than Scotland.
“However, opposition MSPs said at least the UK Government had acted – unlike the SNP administration.”
We had to read all the way to the end of the article to find this in the last paragraph.
“In a written response to Mr Kerr earlier this summer, Ms Gilruth said that building safety “is a matter for the owner – who in this case would be individual local authorities. She added that “health and safety legislation is not devolved to the Scottish government”.”
https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/anger-jenny-gilruths-failure-act-30835822?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar
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The National had a rather misleading editorial on this subject, I had to read it three times to disentangle the Scottish / English elements, maybe I’m just thick but I found this confusing. The article explains that RAAC was used between 1955 and 1990 which actually let’s the Scottish Government of the hook( pre devolution) but doesn’t mention that schools new ( current )schools in England were being built using RAAC and at least one was knocked down before it even opened. The builder or manufacture is no longer in business. It doesn’t mention whether RAAC has been used recently in Scotland. I’m guessing the panic in England was instigated by the new builds rather than any long term concerns being ignored.
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Like the A9 the SNP is taking all the blame it will always be just like the PFI contracts SNP told they could buy them off no mention of who used these to mortgage Scotland also the money used by Lab to block equal pay for females in Glasgow which the SNP council left holding the can.
O/T
Scotland’s sewage shame, worse than England. Tackle it
I see a lot of MSM papers are headlining this but I don’t think people are swimming through piles of s***e as they are they are doing down south.
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Alec Cole Hamilton claimed in interview, and without challenge, that buildings in England had collapsed.
As far as I have read there was one instance where a single beam had done so.
If I am correct is Cole Hamilton not called upon to correct his scare-mongering exaggeration or at least to cite the episodes he claims?
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read somewhere there were rumours of 3 incidents but no proof was given
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I hope his Air B&B shed is not built of dodgy concrete!
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BBC Scotland also had a vox pop by a mother whose son attends a primary school which had replacement work done during the summer holidays, but is ‘terrified’ there might be a ‘catastrophe’. However, she also said he is really happy to be back at school and she is happy he is happy and not missing school as he did during lockdown.
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Yes I saw that vox pop. The BBC Scotland news crew did not get what they wanted from her quite the opposite. She was happy the school/local council had made alternative arrangements and acknowledged they had to so she was not going to complain
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There have been lots of new build schools here in Dundee. All built after the problems with AAC had been noted. I work in one and have no worries at all.
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