Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of derelict school buildings on children’s education.

Responsible bodies, such as local authorities, academy trusts, and voluntary aided bodies, have a vital obligation in ensuring the safety and condition of school buildings. The department supports local authorities, academy trusts and other bodies responsible for keeping school buildings safe and operational by providing condition funding, guidance and advice.

Where there is a significant safety issue with a school building, which cannot be managed with local resources, the department provides additional support on a case-by-case basis.

With effective maintenance, most buildings continue to perform long after their intended design life and the department produces the ‘Managing Older Buildings’ guidance for settings to support them in relation to their care and management.

The Good Estate Management for Schools guidance contains a range of information that can help organisations to manage their school estate. The resource contains a range of information including strategic estate management, maintenance and health and safety compliance.