Half of leaders report issues with school buildings
A survey by school leaders’ union NAHT has found that 51% of its members had buildings or areas that were out of use or not fit for purpose.
More than nine in ten (96%) respondents said they did not receive sufficient capital funding to maintain their school’s buildings and estate.
Nearly three quarters (73%) said toilet blocks were closed (8%) or not fit for purpose (65%).
More than three-quarters (76%) said their schools had basic building infrastructure like windows, roofs and doors which was unfit for purpose, while 3% said some of these facilities were out of use.
Almost two-thirds (64%) said playgrounds were not fit for purpose (56%) or closed (8%), while the respective figures for individual classrooms were 52% and 7%.
Seven per cent of leaders report whole school blocks or mobile classroom blocks being closed , while 26% said such blocks were unfit for purpose.
Meanwhile, almost half of leaders said specialist SEND facilities such as dedicated classrooms, sensory rooms and outdoor spaces were not fit for purpose (41%) or closed (3%).
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Some of the stories we have heard from school leaders about the state of their buildings, and their struggles to secure the funding needed to rectify things, really beggar belief.
“No child or teacher should be expected to operate in draughty, crumbling buildings – doing so can risk their leaning, health, and safety.
“Children deserve modern, fit-for-purpose schools with fantastic facilities, but where we still have ageing buildings which aren’t even warm or watertight, that sadly feels like a pipe dream for many leaders.”
NAHT members will debate a motion at their conference on 1-2 May, calling on the union’s national executive to lobby the government to fully-fund essential capital expenditure across all state schools in England. It calls for a level playing field so access to funding is prioritised based upon need and safety and no longer dependent on school type.
The union says that while the government recently expanded the school rebuilding programme to cover an additional 250 schools, taking the number to 750 by 2035, that means it would still take more than 400 years to rebuild all 22,000 state schools.
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