Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the schools' estate in providing a (a) safe and (b) suitable learning environment during periods of extreme heat.

Schools should continue to carry out their own risk assessments to ensure they create safe and healthy indoor environments for pupils and staff. On 14 July 2022, the department published advice for schools and other education settings on what to do during a heatwave. Schools are also able to access guidance for schools from the Department of Health and Social Care, and guidance for employers from the Health and Safety Executive on how to manage high temperatures.

The department has not made an assessment of the school estate in England during periods of extreme heat.

The department has published guidance, Building Bulletin 101 (BB101), which provides guidelines on air quality and overheating in new and refurbished schools. Information on BB101 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.

The department allocates capital funding each year to schools and those responsible for school buildings to improve and maintain the condition of the school estate. Condition funding can be used to invest in improving the indoor environment and other sustainability measures. The department has committed £13.1 billion to improve the condition of schools since 2015, including £1.8 billion allocated for the current financial year.