Dear Reader, W
elcome to the Spring 2026 issue of School Building Magazine! With the Department for Education’s £38 billion Education Estates Strategy underway, this edition explores how the UK school construction sector is rising to the challenge of delivering safer, more sustainable learning environments.
Our news section brings you the latest on the expanded School Rebuilding Programme, RAAC removal progress, the new CF25 framework and modular methods.
In our major features we turn to wider themes. We assess the emerging effects of the Iran conflict on energy prices and material costs, offering guidance for managing supply-chain pressures, and explore the powerful ‘16% factor’ – compelling evidence that intelligent classroom design can dramatically improve pupil attainment and wellbeing.
Finally, we celebrate the growing movement towards biophilic design and its dual benefits for learning outcomes and net-zero goals.
Full of expert insights and forward-looking ideas, this issue will help you shape the future of the UK’s education estate. We hope you enjoy the read – and here’s to an exciting year of transformation ahead!
Joe Bradbury, Editor
Spring 2026 issue 4183 School building 14 Great Park Academy’s wide-ranging floor coverings installed with Mapei
Specialist Mapei preparation and adhesive products have been used, by Active Flooring Solutions Ltd, to complete an extensive flooring project at Great Park Academy in Newcastle.
18 Why evidence-based school design is quietly transforming learning outcomes across the UK
While the UK construction industry focuses on the practical challenges of the £38 billion Education Estates Strategy – RAAC removal, net-zero upgrades, and the School Rebuilding Programme – a more fundamental question is gaining quiet momentum: how much does the building itself shape what happens inside it?
22 Helping schools make the grade on heating While the education sector awaits an update on green finance solutions for schools, Neville Radford, specification and sector manager at Baxi, outlines the practical support that the heating and hot water industry can provide to drive education estates towards its ambitious 2030 net zero target.
24 Designing multi-functional outdoor spaces through the power of Play Trees
Outdoor spaces are increasingly expected to do more than simply look good. They must invite interaction, support wellbeing, encourage movement and foster connection across generations.
28 Nature at the heart of learning: the rise of biophilic design in UK school construction
In an era when the UK’s school estate is under intense pressure to deliver net-zero, resilient, and inclusive buildings, one quiet but powerful movement is gaining ground: biophilic design.
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datateam@c-cms.com Publisher’s Statement.
School Building is published 4 times a year. Printed in England. All rights reserved. No part of School Building may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior permission of the publisher. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of editorial content, the editor and publishers do not accept responsibility for errors or loss and damage caused by any statements, claims or observations made by contributors, authors and their agents.
Published by DataTeam Business Publishing Company Registration no. 1771113 ISSN 2631-892X
Spring 2026 issue 4183 3
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