The news that dozens of schools in England have been told to shut buildings because of safety fears – just days before the new term starts – dominates the front pages.
According to the Times, a "last-minute order" to close schools yesterday was taken after the Department for Education (DfE) was told of new, unexpected building collapses. The paper says as many as 30 schools will be informed that they must close entirely. It also reports that it has found the "first warnings" about reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) cracking in roofs "came as early as 1995".
The Daily Telegraph likens the situation to the return of the Covid "lockdown". It says the "scramble" is on to find alternatives for pupils, after crumbling concrete left hundreds of buildings unsafe.
The Guardian warns of "school chaos". It says thousands of pupils in England may begin the autumn term taking lessons online or in temporary buildings. The paper goes on to say that the latest development "represents a sharp escalation of a building safety crisis that has been brewing for years".
The i says thousands of children face home schooling for weeks. Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel tells the paper the situation is becoming "quite a big mess" – and says parents are being deprived of information. Hospitals and courtrooms could also be affected by the problem, the i adds.
"Why did it take five years to shut unsafe schools?" asks the Daily Express, adding that officials were warned of the risk in 2018. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has insisted that a "cautious approach" is the correct way to deal with the issue.
The Daily Mail leads on what it calls an "alarming escalation" in the doctors' pay row. It criticises the decision by junior doctors in England to hold their first joint strike with consultants, "despite record NHS waiting lists". In the Guardian, the doctors union – the BMA – accuses ministers of "inflexibility" and says it is determined to address pay erosion.
The Daily Mirror highlights what it calls the "rail cuts march" on Downing Street yesterday, in the campaign to save railway ticket offices from closure in England. The public consultation closes at midnight.
The new Defence Secretary Grant Shapps is pictured on several of the front pages. The Financial Times says that while his move to defence raised eyebrows in military circles, he is viewed inside government "as a strong media performer, with sharp political instincts".
And finally, newly-released pictures – which, it is claimed, could be the Loch Ness monster – garner an enthusiastic response in the Mail and the Sun. Chie Kelly says she took the photos of what looked like a black serpent "spinning" on the surface while she was on holiday five years ago – but thought she would be ridiculed if she told anybody.
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