Perpetual under investment in the school estate has left a crumbling legacy

The government’s school rebuilding programme (SRP) will see 500 blocks or buildings being rebuilt and of course this is very welcome. However, the perpetual underinvestment in the school estate has left some children learning in crumbling legacy buildings with leaking roofs and inefficient heating systems that are costly to run, which is less than ideal in a world of rising energy prices. 

The schools in the next phase of the rebuilding programme will be required to meet higher sustainable building standards. As they should be. However, it is quite absurd that there is not a more ambitious plan to replace buildings that are, at best, unfit for purpose. A significant injection of capital investment alongside support for schools is a must in order to ensure the education sector can meet the government’s climate change target of being carbon net zero by 2050. 

It is good that new builds will be built to a better standard of energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions, essentially carbon net zero in operation. Nevertheless, we have a very long way to go to upgrade the whole of the existing estate. 

We have inequitable access when it comes to the quality and safety of learning environments. Most children and young people living in England learn in a traditional school environment but there are vast differences in the facilities available. Our young people want to tackle climate change and they deserve better. The physical environment matters.