Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Education and Skills Funding Agency monitors academy trust compliance with health and safety standards for school playgrounds.

It is the responsibility of those who manage our schools (local authorities, diocesan bodies and academy trusts) to ensure their premises operate in accordance with relevant standards and legislation. The department provides guidance on how health and safety standards should be met for their premises, including the publication titled ‘Advice on standards for school premises’, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-premises. The department does not monitor compliance.

The recently published ‘School estate management standards’, gathers in one place links to key policies, processes and guidance to support schools to manage their estates effectively and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-estate-management-standards. It signposts users to expert advice and good practice, including more extensive guidance and tools from the department’s ‘Good estate management for schools’ manual, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools, and the Health and Safety Executive here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/education/index.htm.

To note, the Education and Skills Funding Agency became part of the Department for Education in April 2025.