William Eichler 26 September 2023

Unions call for £4bn investment in school estate

Unions call for £4bn investment in school estate image
Image: Roger Utting / Shutterstock.com.

In response to the RAAC crisis, trade unions have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urging him to invest £4.4bn per year to improve the school estate.

The unions, including ASCL, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, GMB, UNISON, Unite, and Community, and the National Governance Association said the reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) scandal has highlighted the ‘crippling underfunding’ of the school estate, which has left many schools ‘unsafe and no longer fit for purpose.’

The letter cites the Department for Education’s (DfE) 2021 study, Condition of School Buildings Survey, which concluded that schools in England face a repair bill of an estimated £11.4bn. It also noted that four years earlier the National Audit Office (NAO) put the bill at £6.7bn.

‘Although the two surveys calculated their estimates slightly differently, there is no doubt that the leap from £6.7bn to £11.4bn – almost twice the original amount – signifies a considerable worsening of the fabric of the school estate in England over just a few years,’ read the letter.

The unions and the National Governance Association, the representative body for school governors and trustees of state-funded schools in England, called on the Government to invest at least an extra £4.4bn annually to upgrade school buildings, bringing the total yearly spend to £7bn.

Responding to the letter, a Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘We have allocated over £15bn to improve the school estate since 2015, including £1.8bn in 2023-24. All schools where RAAC is confirmed will be provided with funding including emergency mitigation work needed to make buildings safe. The Department will also fund longer term refurbishment or rebuilding projects to rectify the issue in the long term.

‘We have also committed to transforming buildings at 500 schools across the country through over the next decade through the schools rebuilding programme. This is on top of 520 schools already delivered since 2015 under the Priority Schools Building Programme.’

If this article was of interest, then check out our feature, ‘RAAC: what housing associations need to know about the concrete crisis’.

What’s happening inside the LGPS? image

What’s happening inside the LGPS?

Get the most informed take on the challenges and opportunities that substantial reform will bring at this year’s PLSA Local Authority Conference.
SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Repairs Co-Ordinator

The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council
Negotiable
Be the heart of our community - help us keep homes safe, warm and well-maintained.At the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), we believe th England, London
Recuriter: The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council

Museums Operations Manager

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council
Band F, SCP26 - 31 (£36,124 - £40,476) per annum
Sandwell Museums is looking for an experienced and motivated Operations Manager Sandwell, West Midlands
Recuriter: Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Regulation and Compliance Assistant - WMF2056e

Westmorland and Furness Council
£31,067 - £31,586 pro rata
This is an exciting opportunity for you to join the Licensing Team within Westmorland and Furness Council Penrith, Cumbria
Recuriter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Community Finance Officer - WMF2059e

Westmorland and Furness Council
£33,366 - £34,314
You will be working in a busy operational finance service Barrow in Furness, Cumbria
Recuriter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Apprentice Teaching Assistant

Durham County Council
£7.55 per hour
Apprentice Teaching Assistants Temporary – 15 month Apprenticeship Contact Full Time – term time only plus 2 weeks £7.55 per hour Start Date
Recuriter: Durham County Council
Linkedin Banner