A commitment to the school estate

The government has pledged £20 billion over the next decade to rebuild and modernise England’s school estate, with the expanded School Rebuilding Programme promising to transform 250 more schools. We examine what’s new for the programme

The government has pledged to rebuild 250 additional schools as part of its flagship School Rebuilding Programme (SRP). Backed by a ten-year infrastructure strategy worth £725 billion, nearly £20 billion has been ringfenced specifically for rebuilding projects in education, with a vision of creating safer, greener, and more resilient school buildings across the country.

The School Rebuilding Programme was launched in 2020 and originally aimed to refurbish or rebuild 500 schools and sixth-form colleges across England over a decade. While the original programme had a slow start due to the pandemic and wider economic pressures, the pace has since increased, with 518 projects 
now approved and many under construction. 

These include schools prioritised for replacement because of structural concerns, such as those containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), or those identified as having the most urgent condition needs.

Now, as part of the recently published National Infrastructure Strategy, the government has confirmed that a further 250 schools will be selected for inclusion in the programme within the next two years. And while the £20 billion earmarked for school buildings includes some existing projects under the SRP, the government has also declared that it is investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034-35 into the annual maintenance budget, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025-26.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who unveiled the plans during the government’s spending review, drew on her own school experience in making the case for change. She told MPs: “People who went to ordinary comprehensives like mine in the 80s and 90s are all too familiar with the experience of being taught in temporary classrooms.”

“It wasn’t acceptable when I was at school, and it isn’t acceptable now,” she added. 

Stop start investment

The programme’s longer-term structure has been welcomed by many in the sector who have called for stability after years of stop-start capital investment. In its own strategy document, the Treasury acknowledged that inconsistent funding in the past had undermined market confidence and hampered the development of skills, technologies and supply chains necessary to support large-scale delivery. By contrast, the new plan promises a “stable pipeline of standardised projects” that will deliver school buildings which are net carbon zero in operation, more climate-resilient and more cost-effective to run.

Sustainability remains at the heart of the updated SRP. New schools will be delivered to an updated output specification, designed to build on lessons learned from earlier phases of the programme. Projects will be required to meet stringent environmental standards, helping schools cut emissions and energy use while improving the learning environment for pupils and staff alike.

The Department for Education is currently procuring new construction frameworks that will demand even higher standards from contractors – not just in quality and value, but also in terms of social impact. These will include requirements for hiring apprentices, supporting local SMEs, and contributing to community development as part of each project.

The SRP’s emphasis on standardisation, sustainability and long-term delivery is aimed at breaking the cycle of decay that has plagued parts of the school estate since the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme over 15 years ago.

As for the schools themselves, selection for the programme remains based on clear criteria. Projects are prioritised where buildings are of construction types that require replacement, where condition data points to severe need, or where there are risks to health and safety. Schools granted a provisional place on the programme undergo further due diligence before entering delivery – at a rate of approximately 50 per year.

What’s in the pipeline?

Coundon Court School in Coventry is undergoing a transformation worth £40 million under the SRP, which aims to create a modern, net-zero carbon campus while preserving the school’s heritage buildings and respecting nearby green belt areas. It involves demolishing six existing blocks and replacing them with three new state-of-the-art teaching facilities, with four teaching blocks and two locally listed buildings retained.

McCoy Contractors is playing a vital role in the major redevelopment. Its site includes earthworks, site drainage, concrete floor slabs, installation of new services, and hard landscaping. A key challenge has been maintaining a safe learning environment while the school remains operational, requiring temporary classrooms, fencing, barriers and access routes. 

County Durham, meanwhile, opened its doors to Woodham Academy, which benefitted from new buildings funded through the SRP.

Developed by Galliford Try, the project was designed and constructed to minimise carbon usage and features air source heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, a biodiverse green roof, and several other features that will also reduce running costs.

In addition to state-of-the-art classrooms, the new buildings include a four-lane swimming pool, sports hall and fitness studio, all of which can be utilised outside of school hours by the local community.

The RAAC situation

The government has recently reported that more than half of RAAC-affected schools and colleges are either fully free of the substance or are in the process of having it removed.

Fifty two of the schools with targeted grant funding have had RAAC removed, and a further 71 schools with RAAC are in the process of being rebuilt under the School Rebuilding Programme.

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said: “High-quality classrooms show every child that their education matters – and that their future matters to this government. We are repairing the fabric of our schools and restoring the pride pupils feel in their classrooms.”

In another industry move, LocatED – the government’s school building body – will be integrated into the Department for Education 
by April 2026.

The integration will combine LocatED’s commercial property expertise with the Department for Education’s understanding of what schools need, whilst delivering maximum value for taxpayers.

LocatED was established in 2017 to support the delivery of education settings across England including buying, developing, and managing sites for schools and colleges as well as strategic property advice to government and education bodies to help build a more efficient education estate.

Department for Education Permanent Secretary, Susan Acland-Hood, said: “LocatED will bring commercial property expertise into the heart of the Department for Education to help us manage and transform the education estate, make it sustainable, give great value to the taxpayer, and support excellent outcomes for children and young people. I’m delighted to be welcoming LocatED colleagues even more closely into the Department.”

Lara Newman, chief executive at LocatED, added: “Both organisations will work closely together to ensure seamless continuity of all services and projects throughout the transition period.”

While rebuilding is not a quick fix, the renewed commitment from the government into the School Rebuilding Programme, as well as moving its school property company LocatED directly into its remit, the Department for Education has signaled a change in the way it approaches school infrastructure. 

^{Image shows Woodham Academy, which had new buildings funded through the SRP. Image credit Galliford Try.}