Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need for more long-term investment to raise the quality of school buildings.

Safe and well-maintained school buildings that support a high-quality education are a priority for the department. That is why we have committed £1.8 billion in the 2022/23 financial year to improve school buildings across England, as part of over £13 billion allocated since 2015.

In addition, the School Rebuilding Programme will carry out major rebuilding and refurbishment projects at 500 schools across England, with buildings prioritised based on their condition. There are now 400 projects in the programme. The most recent set of 239 schools were announced in December 2022. All new buildings in the programme are designed to the department’s standards, including being net zero carbon in operation.

This financial year, eligible schools have also received an allocation from an additional £447 million in capital funding for improvements to buildings and facilities, prioritising works to improve energy efficiency.

The department has carried out the Condition Data Collection (CDC) to understand the condition of the school estate in England and how it is changing over time. This directly informs investment in the condition of school buildings. Individual CDC reports are shared with every school and the academy trusts and local authorities responsible for those schools, to help inform their investment plans alongside their own more detailed condition surveys and safety checks. CDC2 is currently underway to ensure the department maintains an up-to-date understanding of the condition of school buildings.