Minister unsure how many schools will be forced to shut over concrete safety fears (Image: GETTY - STOCK)

       Some schools affected by aerated concrete fears are yet to be contacted, a minister has admitted.

       Schools minister Nick Gibb said the Government has contacted the "vast majority" of schools that have buildings constructed using the material.

       But some are yet to find out they are affected, with officials planning to inform the remaining institutions today, Mr Gibb said.

       Speaking to Sky News, he said that most of those locations will have to shut "just a few buildings" or rooms.

       But some of the affected schools will have to shut "the whole school", as urgent work is carried out on buildings made with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

       Some schools affected by aerated concrete fears are yet to be contacted, a minister has admitted.

       Schools minister Nick Gibb said the Government has contacted the "vast majority" of schools that have buildings constructed using the material.

       But some are yet to find out they are affected, with officials planning to inform the remaining institutions today, Mr Gibb said.

       Speaking to Sky News, he said that most of those locations will have to shut "just a few buildings" or rooms.

       But some of the affected schools will have to shut "the whole school", as urgent work is carried out on buildings made with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

       Some schools affected by aerated concrete fears are yet to be contacted, a minister has admitted.

       Schools minister Nick Gibb said the Government has contacted the "vast majority" of schools that have buildings constructed using the material.

       But some are yet to find out they are affected, with officials planning to inform the remaining institutions today, Mr Gibb said.

       Speaking to Sky News, he said that most of those locations will have to shut "just a few buildings" or rooms.

       But some of the affected schools will have to shut "the whole school", as urgent work is carried out on buildings made with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

       READ MORE: Thousands of children could be taken out of school due to unsafe buildings

       The Government has identified RAAC as prone to collapse, with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan having identified 156 campuses with buildings containing the material.

       The Department for Education announced on Thursday, August 31, that it would have to conduct urgent inspections on school sites just weeks before term starts.

       While ministers are yet to announce exactly how many schools and colleges are affected, they expect approximately 104 will experience disruption.

       Those 104 schools have been assigned a caseworker, and the department has sent surveyors to conduct site inspections.

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       Mr Gibb said officials "don't know yet" the precise number of schools that will suffer ongoing disruption as surveyors work to resolve the issue.

       He told Times Radio that, if parents haven't heard from their schools, it is safe for their children to return for the new term.

       He said: "Parents can be assured that if they haven't heard from schools, that it is safe to send their children into school."

       Mr Gibb also claimed that the Government has been "one of the most proactive in the world" in working to resolve the issue, despite recent claims ministers exhibited "staggering incompetence".

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       Bridget Phillipson, Labour's shadow education secretary, said the Government was "failing" the children whose schools have closed days before the new term.

       She said: "This is an absolutely staggering display of Tory incompetence as they start a fresh term by failing our children again.

       "Dozens of England's schools are at risk of collapse with just days before children crowd their corridors. Ministers have been content to let this chaos continue for far too long.

       "It's long past time the secretary of state got a grip on her department."

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