The government was ridiculed today following an infographic it posted on social media to quell fears over school building safety.
It follows an earlier roasting from shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson who described the government’s handling of the scandal surrounding crumbling schools as an “utter shambles”.
The poster, shared on Gillian Keegan’s official Twitter page, claims in bold capital letters that “most schools [are] unaffected” by the crisis involving reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
It follows the partial and full closure of more than 100 schools over concerns raised about the safety of RAAC just days before pupils were due to return to school from the summer.
The material, which has an approximate lifespan of 30 years, is described as resembling Aero chocolate due to it’s bubbly texture and was identified as a safety risk in 2018 following the collapse of a school roof in Kent in 2018.
The exact number of schools impacted by the dangerous material is still unknown as some education facilities have still not informed the government if they suspect their buildings contain RAAC.
It follows revelations by schools minister Nick Gibb that Rishi Sunak pursued other priorities despite a request to increase funding to fix England’s schools.
Rishi Sunak is already under mounting pressure after a former senior civil servant accused the prime minister of slashing the government budget for school repairs by half in 2021, meaning only 50 rather than 100 schools could be refurbished every year.
Jonathan Slater, who served as permanent secretary at the Department for Education from May 2016 to August 2020, said he was “absolutely amazed” the decision was made by the Treasury to halve a school rebuilding programme.
Labour was quick to mock the poster which also noted the provision of a “dedicated caseworker for every affected school” and “rapid support for funding for affected schools.”
Posted on the party’s official press account, the infographic was edited to refer to a Jaws joke, changing the slogan to: “Most beachgoers are not eaten by big shark”, in an apparent reference to the fictional Mayor of Amity.
Soon, others began to jump onboard, tearing into the infographic. Here’s a pick of the best reactions:
Related: Gillian Keegan ‘covered-up’ RAAC dangers whistleblower claims