Two schools in Warwick face major disruption after being identified as having potentially dangerous concrete

Two schools in Warwick will face major disruption to the start of their school year after being identified as having a type of potentially dangerous concrete.

Ayelsford School and Myton School are among the many schools in England that have been forced to close some of its buildings due to the national reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) saga.

The government has not yet published an official list of which schools are affected as it says it wants parents to hear from headteachers and principals about closures first.

At Ayelsford School, the primary school is not affected but a significant part of the rest of the school will be closed while work is carried out. It will only be open next week for Year 7 from Monday September 4, all primary school year groups from Tuesday 5, and Year 12 from Wednesday 6

At Myton School, the start of term has been delayed.

The Department for Education (DfE) said Gillian Keegan is due to inform Parliament on Monday "of the plan to keep parents and the public updated on the issue".

Ms Keegan said disruption caused by the crisis should last "days, not weeks" even in cases where pandemic-style remote learning was made necessary due to building closures.

Writing in The Sun On Sunday, the Education Secretary said there was "no choice" other than to make closures after a "handful of cases" where Raac had failed.

She said: "We all have to make difficult decisions in life and responsible government is about getting them right. That means looking at evidence and acting, even when the trade-offs are significant.

"That's the position I faced when new evidence was presented to me indicating concrete which forms part of certain school buildings was no longer safe.

"I want to reassure families that this is not a return to the dark days of school lockdowns."

She added that a "minority" will have to teach pupils off-site or remotely but the department would fund temporary classrooms to maintain face-to-face learning.

Labour is planning to force a vote to compel the Government to reveal the extent to which Raac is affecting public buildings.

The Government has said it will publish a list of schools "in due course", but Labour said it plans to put forward a humble address, an arcane parliamentary mechanism which can be used to demand papers from government departments, to force the publication of a list of affected schools.

More than 100 schools and colleges have been told by the DfE to fully or partially shut buildings due to the presence of Raac, following the collapse of a beam last week.

Schools minister Nick Gibb admitted more classrooms could be forced to shut.

Labour has demanded an "urgent audit" of the public sector estate on the impact of the material.

The Government said it had been clear about the number of schools "immediately impacted" by the safety risks.

A DfE spokesperson said schools needed time "to inform parents and consider their next steps" before the list of schools is affected.

In guidance published on Thursday, the DfE recommended using nearby schools, community centres or an "empty local office building" for the "first few weeks" while structural supports are installed to mitigate the risk of collapse.

Schools were told moving to remote education should be considered only as a "last resort and for a short period".

Although not confirmed, it is estimated around 24 schools in England have been told to close entirely because of the presence of Raac, the PA news agency understands.

Raac is a lightweight building material which was used up until the mid-1990s.

The DfE was told of the issues potentially caused by Raac in 2018.

Experts have warned that the crisis over Raac could extend beyond the education sector, with healthcare settings, courts and offices also potentially at risk.