More than 14,500 extra secondary school classrooms will be needed in England over the next three years, new research says.
According to a new study from the public sector procurement specialist, Scape Group, England will see 435,646 additional pupils enter the secondary school system in 2020.
This will require the building of over 14,500 additional secondary classrooms.
Drawing on Department of Education and devolved authority data, Scape Group’s report also warned 527 classrooms would be required in Scotland, 340 in Wales and 318 in Northern Ireland by 2020.
Scape Group’s report, entitled The Secondary School Places Challenge, recommends the creation of a National School Building Strategy to bring together the Department of Education, local authorities and the delivery marketplace in order to tackle the classroom shortage.
Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive, comments: ‘Secondary school pupil numbers are set to rise significantly and there is a real risk that if we do not increase the output of new secondary school classrooms there will be significant pressure on places across the UK.
‘Such is the scale of the projected increase in secondary school pupils that the Government should now seek to develop a National School Building Strategy that brings together the Department of Education, local and regional government, and industry.
‘We must ensure there is a joined-up approach that embraces modern methods of construction such as modular and offsite techniques, which can deliver schools quickly and cost-effectively.’
