Gillian Keegan has said that the government cannot yet give a definitive end date for the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) crisis in schools but has told MPs that it will be able to provide this in the new year.
The education secretary also told MPs that transgender guidance for schools should be published by Christmas.
Ms Keegan faced questions from the Commons Education Select Committee on Wednesday on a range of pressing school policy issues.
She was joined at the hearing by Susan Acland-Hood, permanent secretary at the Department for Education.
Here are six of the key findings from the education committee’s hearing on the work of the education secretary.
What Gillian Keegan told MPs
1. No definitive date for the end of the RAAC crisis
Ms Keegan was asked by MP Anna Firth what deadline had been set to clear potentially dangerous RAAC from every school affected by it.
In response, the education secretary said that she could not yet give a deadline for when all schools will be safe from RAAC but said that it was something she would be able to come back to “very shortly”.
When pressed by committee chairman Robin Walker about whether this would be before Christmas , Ms Keegan said that it would be in the new year, adding that it would be a “new year present”.
MPs were told that in each case where RAAC was identified, it would be decided whether mitigations could be put in place or whether schools needed a significant or complete rebuild.
Ms Keegan added: “Obviously those ones that are in school rebuild will take longer as it takes a few years to rebuild a school.”
Ms Keegan said there are now 231 schools confirmed as having RAAC, with three carrying out hybrid teaching whereby some pupils are learning remotely because of building closures.
The DfE published an update to its list of schools confirmed as containing RAAC today.
“We do expect there will be some more” RAAC cases, Ms Keegan said, but she insisted that this will only be a “handful” because the number of schools finding the concrete has “massively slowed down”.
The education secretary said that all responsible bodies for schools with buildings built in the target era for RAAC have returned questionnaires to the DfE.
She also told MPs that all schools have received their first survey on assessing the presence of RAAC. However, she said that some schools will require a second survey and “may be waiting until Christmas” for this.
2. Transgender guidance ‘out by Christmas’
Ms Keegan said the DfE is aiming to release its non-statutory gender-questioning guidance for schools by Christmas.
The guidance was originally intended for publication in 2022. The education secretary said that she recognised that schools are struggling to “navigate the contested views of different people”.
When asked by Nick Fletcher MP whether the guidance would allow social transitioning in schools, she said: “There are limits of non-statutory guidance. I know there are some people who have called for not having any social transitioning in schools, full stop. That would require a change in equalities law.”
MPs also quizzed Ms Keegan and Ms Acland-Hood on the curriculum for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).
Ms Keegan said a broader review of RSHE would be published early in 2024.
3. Minimum service levels will ‘protect children’s education’
Ms Keegan told MPs that she was trying to “protect children’s education” through plans to introduce minimum service levels for schools during strike action.
Last month the DfE announced proposals for certain cohorts of pupils to continue receiving education in schools during strikes. The department is currently consulting on plans to introduce minimum service levels, which would involve employers issuing work notices informing staff that they will be required to work during strike action.
The education secretary said today that she “respects the right to strike”, but told MPs that she did not agree with the strikes earlier this year over teacher pay.
4. School funding error review will be published soon
A review into a school funding calculation error made by the DfE will be published soon, the committee was told.
MPs asked a number of questions about the miscalculation of schools’ National Funding Formula (NFF) allocations for 2024-25.
Ms Keegan called the error, which over-inflated funding figures for the next academic year by £370 million, “unacceptable” but said that she recognised that everyone makes mistakes.
5. AI and Oak can cut teacher workload
On the steps that the DfE is taking to make teacher workload more “acceptable”, Ms Keegan said its programmes - such as its transgender guidance and its SEND support improvement plan - will make workload “easier”.
The DfE aims to reduce working hours by five hours per week over the next three years. Ms Keegan said this will be taken forward by the new schools minister Damian Hinds.
MPs also heard that artificial intelligence can reduce teacher workload, and Ms Keegan highlighted Oak National Academy, an arm’s-length government body that provides online resources and lesson planning.
Ms Acland-Hood cited the work that the quango is doing on AI to help cut workload.
6. MPs given hint that DfE wanted to bring in not-in-school register next year
MPs were given a hint that the DfE had wanted to include a bill introducing a register for children not in school in the King’s Speech.
Ms Keegan was questioned by MP Flick Drummond about why the government was not bringing in a bill to create the register, as it had previously planned.
Ms Acland-Hood said: “What is in the King’s Speech is not the same as what we tried to get in the King’s Speech.”
Labour shadow children’s minister Helen Hayes has interpreted this as Downing Street having blocked the legislation, and described it as “shocking”.
