Nick Gibb has expressed confidence in precautionary measures being taken at schools affected by a concrete prone to collapse.
Some classroom ceilings are being propped up by steel beams, and Mr Gibb has told LBC he would let his family study underneath them.
Asked by Nick Ferrari if he’d be happy to see his young nieces and nephews sit in such a classroom, Mr Gibb said: “Yes, because we’re taking a very precautionary approach.
“Some say we are being overcautious in dealing with this. But the advice is you can prop up these beams. Where they are in a more dangerous condition, of course, we take that room out of use altogether.”
Commenting on Mr Gibb’s statement, Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Children sat underneath steel girders to protect them from the ceiling falling in – the defining image of 13 years of a Conservative-run education system.”
Explained: If you’re just joining us, the government has found 156 schools in England have used a type of lightweight concrete that is at risk of collapsing.
Only 52 have implemented precautions to mitigate potential risks caused by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
The Department for Education has directed those schools to close buildings constructed with RAAC.
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