Balancing the quality and capacity of the school estate
MOST of the school estate (around 60%) is more than 40 years old and the continued deterioration in the condition of our school buildings represents a substantial risk to long-term value for money.
The cost of returning all school buildings to “satisfactory or better” condition is somewhere in the region of £6.7 billion, according to the DfE’s own property data survey. To bring parts of school buildings from satisfactory to “good” condition is likely to cost a further £7.1 billion. In its recent report on capital funding for schools(1)
, the National Audit Boosting STEM appeal
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Office expressed concerns that “weak accountability” for the condition of the school estate and similarly weak incentives for schools to maintain their buildings, meant that defects could go unrepaired and would cost more to address in the future
Achieving consistent data on the size, condition, age and composition of the school estate has been a key goal. Whilst data collection is improving (see page 8), the DfE is not yet able to assess reliably how condition is changing over time – and acknowledges that the cost of dealing with major defects in the estate could double by 2020-21, as many buildings near the end of their useful lives.
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By generating more localised information, the Department has improved the targeting of funding for repairing school buildings, however the NAO notes that this does not fully follow need as any formula-based allocations do not always reflect conditions. In the meantime, buildings in poor, but not the worst, condition – which miss out on funding – continue to deteriorate further.
Given the urgency of ensuring there are enough school places in the right areas, the quality of the school estate is often weighed alongside its capacity. If the Department is to deliver value for money, it has to make the best use of the capital funding it has available. This means continuing to improve the use of data to inform its funding decisions and creating places where it can demonstrate that they will have the greatest impact. In order that the devolved system works effectively, it must also strengthen incentives and ensure that accountabilities for managing the school estate are clear, says the NAO.
(1) Capital Funding for Schools, NAO, February 2017
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