ONE secondary school in Hampshire contains a type of concrete that is prone to collapse, the county council has confirmed.

The news comes as more than 100 schools and colleges in England have been told they need to shut classrooms or put safety measures in place because they contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) which could suddenly collapse.

The move comes as schools in England are set to start the new academic year and could see thousands of pupils taking lessons remotely.

Hampshire County Council has said Cranbourne College in Basingstoke is the only site to contain the material and no schools are being told to shut.

A council spokesperson said: “No Hampshire school is being closed. We can confirm that Cranbourne College in Basingstoke is the only site where RAAC has been identified among our maintained schools.

"Temporary works have already been undertaken to one section of the building to make sure it is safe and another area has been taken out of use since the beginning of the year, however, the school is expected to open as normal at the start of the autumn term.”

RAAC is a lightweight, bubbly form of concrete that is usually found on roofs and occasionally on walls and floors but is known to be weak and less durable.

The material was favoured in construction projects because of its lightweight thermal properties.

Schools, hospitals and various other public buildings from the 1950s to the mid-1990s were built using the material.

A National Audit Office report completed earlier this year said the concrete had been confirmed in at least 65 schools in England after 196 completed surveys, with 24 requiring emergency action.

In June, ministers launched a government-wide inquiry into the use of RAAC in public buildings to look into how many of the thousands of government buildings were constructed with it.

Sky News has reported that Labour's shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government was "failing" children by needing to close schools just before the new term started.

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