Two schools in Buckinghamshire do not have dangerous crumbling concrete in their structures, the Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed.

Both schools – which are not named – were highlighted as having ‘potential and possible’ reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in Thursday’s Children’s & Education Select Committee.

The issue was raised by Tony Wilson, education director for the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education (ODBE), which oversees Church of England schools in Buckinghamshire.

But Buckinghamshire Council has confirmed to the LDRS that DfE building surveys have been carried out at the two schools, and that RAAC was not detected.

Anita Cranmer, the Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services said: “Many schools have undertaken these surveys already and have confirmed back to the DfE that no RAAC is present, including two church schools alluded to during a Select Committee meeting yesterday. All Buckinghamshire schools are open safely to students as normal.”

Speaking at Thursday’s Children’s & Education Select Committee, Mr Wilson had said: “I think unfortunately this may be the tip of the iceberg.”

However, he confirmed to the LDRS on Friday that the ODBE had not been made aware of RAAC in any Church of England School in Bucks, apart from Waddesdon School near Aylesbury.

He said: “All of this serves to illustrate the incredible pressures that schools and maintaining authorities are under in managing this challenge, and the need for all parties to ensure effective communications.”

Waddesdon is one of three Bucks schools where RAAC has been detected, along with St Michael's Catholic School in High Wycombe and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Chalfont St Peter.

Pupils at all three schools are able to attend face to face learning, Councillor Cranmer confirmed to the LDRS.

She said: “Buckinghamshire Council has confirmed this week that three Buckinghamshire schools, included in this week’s published DfE list, either currently have RAAC present in parts of their site or have been previously identified as having RAAC and are already undertaking, or have completed mitigation works.

“It is great news that all students at these three schools can attend face to face learning as usual, as the limited amount of RAAC at any of these sites is not in teaching areas or students are being taught in temporary classrooms, with any potentially ‘at risk’ parts of the site out of use.

“I know there has been a huge amount of attention paid to this issue in the past week, which is understandable given that we all have to be sure our schools are safe, however, at times the data and information available is not keeping up with the pace of activity, which ultimately is being co-ordinated directly between the schools themselves and the Department for Education.”