Two Bolton schools are among more than 40 to be added to the list of those affected by the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).

The addition to the list last week of St Bernard's RC Primary School and St Stephen and All Martyrs CE Primary School takes the total in the borough to five.

St Bernard's RC Primary School said its inclusion in the Department of Education list was about catching up with issues already reported by The Bolton News while the situation at St Stephen and All Martyrs CE Primary School is unknown after it did not respond to a request for a statement. It is understood all students are in full-time, face-to-face education at the two schools.

Across England, 214 schools are affected by the presence of RAAC of which none are closed.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: "Thanks to the hard work of school leaders, 202 settings are providing full-time, face-to-face education for all pupils.

"I want to reassure pupils, parents and staff that this government is doing whatever it takes to support our school leaders in responding to RAAC and to minimise disruption to education."

The Bolton News: St Bernard's RC Primary School

The addition to the list last week of St Bernard's RC Primary School and St Stephen and All Martyrs CE Primary School came after the addition to the list last month of Canon Slade, St Andrew CE Primary School and St William of York RC Primary School.

Previously Canon Slade received recognition for its response to the crisis in the House of Commons from Bolton MP Mark Logan and the Education Secretary.

Mr Logan said: "I put on record my admiration for [headteacher] Karen Sudworth, [CEO] Tania Lewyckyj and Canon Slade for their monumental effort to ensure the smooth running of the school since the announcement."

Ms Keegan said: "I join my honourable friend in praising the team at Canon Slade, who have all pupils in face-to-face education. The majority of schools identified as having RAAC have all pupils in face-to-face education and this is down to the dedication of our school leaders." 

Atherton St George's CofE Primary School has also been placed on the list.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.