Thousands of schools have buildings that need urgent repairs

SURVEY REVEALS SHOCKING DETAILS

MORE than a third of all state schools in Warwickshire have at least one building in urgent need of repair or replacement, a shock new survey found. Across the county 88 statefunded schools had at least one building with materials that were past their lifespan or at ‘serious risk of imminent failure,’ according to the study.

That figure equates to 35.8% of state schools in the county and was correct as of January 2019, around the time the survey took place. The poor conditions were revealed in a survey that saw building surveyors and engineers inspect more than 22,000 state-funded schools nationally, between 2017 and 2019.

Each school building component, such as a roof, window or wall, was given a grade from A, meaning ‘good,’ to D, meaning ‘life expired and/or serious risk of imminent failure.’ Materials with the worst grade were classified as requiring immediate remedial action or replacement.

The results are the most recent assessment available of the state of England’s schools. The Government is in the process of repeating the survey but has not released any of its findings so far.

Nationally, 7,158 schools were deemed to have at least one building with materials in dire need of repair 32.5% of 22,004 state schools. Every council area except the Isles of Scilly and the City of London - the two smallest local authorities - had at least one school with a seriously faulty building part.

And in 138 (90.8%) of the council areas, at least one in five schools had one or more buildings with components in the poorest condition. The Liberal Democrat’s education spokesperson Munira Wilson, who obtained the figures through a parliamentary question, said that parents deserve to know the schools they send their children to are safe but that ‘crumbling buildings’ are putting them at risk.

She added: “Conservative ministers are too busy propping up Boris Johnson instead of dealing with pressing issues like repairing our schools. They are ignoring warnings from their own officials that some school buildings are unsafe, let alone fit for purpose.

“The Government must explain how they will ensure every one of these schools is repaired as soon as possible. Education is an investment in our children’s future, paying for itself in the long-run many times over.

“It is time for the Prime Minister to step up and give our schools the funding they so desperately need.” The figures come after the Observer reported on leaked emails sent from the Department for Education (DFE) to Downing Street in which officials asked for more money to repair school buildings and described some structures as posing a ‘risk to life.’

A DFE spokesperson said: “The safety of pupils and staff is paramount. We have one of the largest and most comprehensive condition data collection programmes in Europe, and this helps us to assess and manage risk across the estate.

“Buildings where there is a risk to health and safety will always be prioritised and we have allocated over £13 billion since 2015 to improve the condition of school buildings and facilities, including £1.8 billion this financial year. In addition, our new School Rebuilding Programme will transform the learning environment at 500 schools over the next decade, prioritising schools in poor condition or with potential safety issues.”

Conservative ministers are too busy propping up Boris Johnson instead of dealing with pressing issues like repairing our schools

Munira Wilson