Schools: Buildings

(asked on 14th December 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the total number of school classrooms in regular use in schools; and what proportion of those classrooms he estimates to be in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) sixth form colleges in (i) independent and (ii) state schools.


Answered by
Robin Walker Portrait
Robin Walker
This question was answered on 5th January 2022

The Department for Education does not hold information on the number of classrooms in regular use in schools and sixth form colleges in either the state or independent sector.

Investment in the school estate is a priority for the government. £23 billion was invested in the school estate from the financial years 2016-17 to 2020-21 to deliver new school places, rebuild or refurbish buildings in the worst condition and deliver thousands of condition projects across the school estate.

The department is investing a total of £5.6 billion of capital funding to support the education sector in the 2021-22 financial year, including £1.8 billion to help maintain and improve the condition of school buildings, £300 million in 2021-22 to invest in new high needs places, and £750 million for new school places needed by 2022.

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, announced a new School Rebuilding Programme last year, which will replace poor condition buildings with modern designs that will be net zero carbon in operation. We have announced the first 100 schools, as part of a commitment to 500 rebuilding projects over the next decade - transforming education for thousands of pupils.

The 2021 Spending Review recently announced a total of £19.4 billion of capital funding to support the education sector between the financial years 2022-23 and 2024-25. We have announced nearly £500 million of this for new mainstream primary and secondary school places needed by 2023. £2.6 billion will be invested between 2022 and 2025 to deliver new places and improve existing provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision.

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