Top Department for Education bosses were quizzed about the government鈥檚 response to the RAAC crisis today. Here鈥檚 what we learned from the 1. Planned rebuilds won鈥檛 be bumped, but might be delayed The RAAC crisis has prompted fears that some of the 400 confirmed projects in the current school rebuilding programme could be bumped. But DfE permanent secretary Acland-Hood insisted today the government 鈥渨ill not be taking named schools out of the schools rebuilding programme鈥. 鈥淪o if a school is one of the 400 that has been named it will be rebuilt under the programme.鈥 However, she said it was 鈥減ossible that we might need to look at timing and phasing, but we will seek not to interfere with timescales already given in detail鈥. She expected 鈥渨e will be prioritising RAAC schools for the remaining 100 slots in the programme鈥. 2. Rebuilding scheme could expand Keegan has pledged to rebuild all schools 鈥渢hat need it鈥 as a result of RAAC and chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said he will 鈥渟pend what it takes鈥. Acland-Hood said today the chancellor鈥檚 鈥渃ommitment that he will also make sure that longer-term work can be funded means I would expect that we would be looking at an increase鈥e could be looking at an increase in the numbers of schools coming through the school rebuilding programme鈥. The current rebuilding programme aims to rebuild 50 schools a year, but Jane Cunliffe, chief operating officer of the DfE’s operations and infrastructure group, said she was 鈥渃onfident that we have got the capacity to do more than that through our supply chain鈥 if needed. 3. DfE will check reserves of schools asking for revenue help After several days of ambiguity, the DfE finally confirmed last week that it will help schools to meet 鈥渞easonable鈥 revenue costs such as renting alternative sites and bussing pupils elsewhere. Today, Acland-Hood confirmed that as part of this, there would be a 鈥渟tage of checking that the expenditure is properly related to [RAAC], that it鈥檚 reasonable and so on and that the school doesn鈥檛 have a very very high level of reserve. But we鈥檙e setting the most generous bar we can on that.鈥 She said her department would 鈥渆rr on the side of generosity and our assumption is that we will meet all reasonable costs鈥. 4. 鈥業ntrusive鈥 surveys ruled out due to time constraints The surveys the DfE is conducting at schools with suspected RAAC are visual only, but Acland-Hood revealed today that 鈥渋ntrusive鈥 surveys were considered, but ruled out. They would involve drilling into RAAC, which means taking spaces 鈥渙ut of use鈥 and propping them. 鈥淚t would have massively extended the length of time it would have taken to identify RAAC across the whole of the school estate. 鈥淥ne of the things that we could see was in order to mitigate, it would have been roughly as disruptive as doing the mitigation. So we thought we鈥檇 go for the mitigation.鈥 5. Wait for updated school numbers, MPs told Last week, the DfE published a list of 147 schools currently affected by RAAC. But it was a week out-of-date. Officials plan to update the list fortnightly, and are keeping quiet about numbers in between official publications. Acland-Hood said the DfE was trying to give new information to schools first to give them time to manage the situation before being named. 鈥淲e want to be really transparent and really clear about this but we also want to manage it really sensibly for the schools.鈥 6. 鈥楬undreds鈥 of questionnaires outstanding Cunliffe revealed today that 98 per cent of schools have now completed the DfE鈥檚 questionnaire on the presence of RAAC, up from 95 per cent last week. But that still leaves a 鈥渇ew hundred鈥 that have not submitted theirs. MPs were told the DfE was chasing schools that are yet to respond. The civil servants also revealed today they would be checking the accuracy of responses from schools. You can read about that here. 7. Officials won鈥檛 say how many schools still need surveys Jane Cunliffe Acland-Hood and Cunliffe were asked repeatedly how many schools are still awaiting surveys, but would not answer. They said contractors working for the department had now conducted over 600 and were doing 鈥渟everal hundred a week鈥. They also revealed some schools had needed to be re-surveyed, some because of access issues during the first survey, and others because of the presence of asbestos. MPs reported that their schools had received conflicting information from the government. 鈥淲e鈥檙e clearly not getting communication of this right, so let me take that away,鈥 said Acland-Hood. 8. No data on temporary classrooms MPs also asked how many temporary classrooms had so far been provided to schools. Cunliffe said she didn鈥檛 鈥渉ave the number with me today鈥. Acland-Hood said she would write with figures for those already supplied, but said the number 鈥渨ill be small鈥, in part because some schools have been able to make it work without them. She added that the target timeframe for supplying buildings to schools was two weeks, given they needed a foundation, utilities and often planning permission. 9. Top DfE boss defends Keegan鈥檚 hot mic jibe Education secretary Gillian Keegan has been widely criticised after a 鈥渉ot mic鈥 incident last week, in which she said others had 鈥渟at on their arses鈥. But Acland-Hood defended the education secretary, who she said had been 鈥済enerous I think in recognising work done in the department鈥. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think she did intend to suggest that others haven鈥檛 been working hard.鈥 10. Few free schools didn鈥檛 have site surveys The Observer reported yesterday that the government failed to carry out detailed surveys for potential hazards like RAAC and asbestos for some free school sites. Pressed on the revelations today, Cunliffe said that 鈥渙bviously the majority of free school sites are surveyed鈥, but added: 鈥淚 think there were some where surveys were difficult to do before the site was purchased. 鈥淚 can write with details. I think it鈥檚 a very very small number of sites.鈥 Acland-Hood defended the government鈥檚 focus on opening free schools over the past decade. 鈥淲e always try to keep the right balance between funding we spend on new places and on maintenance and refurbishment, and I think it鈥檚 right that that balance changes over time.鈥