6

Develop a support package and good practice guidance for schools in poor condition.

Conclusion
Unacceptable numbers of pupils are learning in poorly maintained or potentially unsafe buildings. The quality of school buildings has an impact on pupils’ learning experience, and ultimately on attainment levels and teacher retention. An estimated 700,000 pupils attend the 1,200 schools that have been considered for the School Rebuilding Programme, which aims to rebuild or refurbish those buildings in the most need given safety matters or their poor general condition (which could include problems with, for example, roofs, windows or heating systems). DfE will select 500 schools to be included in the programme. DfE’s first Condition Data Collection programme (CDC1), conducted between 2017 and 2019, found that just over 2% of building components were in ‘poor’ or ‘bad’ condition, but this covers a large number of schools. Recommendation 6: Within the next year, DfE should develop a package of support and good practice to help those responsible for mitigating the negative impact on pupils and teachers of schools that are in poor condition but cannot yet be fixed.
Government Response

A response document is linked to this report, dated 8 March 2024. Response attribution to this conclusion has not been verified. Read the response document.

Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age 2.8 yrs
Report published 19 Nov 2023