In the United Kingdom, hundreds of schools were forced to close due to the threat of collapse

The start of the school year has finally been postponed for at least two weeks for Hina Robinson’s daughter. Her child was due to start primary school in Wyburns, Essex, east of England, this week. However, over the weekend, she learned that everything had been postponed. The school building is in danger of collapsing: last-minute consolidation work is being carried out and, in principle, the school should be allowed to return after mid-September. But who knows? Like Hina Robinson’s daughter, thousands of students across the UK, at a total of 104 schools, are facing upheaval, finding out day by day whether their school will be open and under what conditions. Some will have lessons via video conference, while others have found alternative buildings in the Covid era. Hina Robinson on the BBC accuses the “government of not acting quickly enough”.

The confusion came as the British government on Thursday issued new emergency rules on the stability of school buildings. The RAAC says the case concerns establishments built with a type of “aerated” concrete (Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in language. This porous material, with many air bubbles inside, was widely used across the channel between the 1950s and 1990s. Cheaper, lighter, it was especially used for roofs. Problem: Its lifespan is not more than thirty years.