Revamp cash for schools ‘nowhere near enough’

More than £450m being spent improvinghundredsofschool buildings across the country is "nowhere near enough", education leaders say.

TheDepartmentforEducation (DfE) said 859 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided schools will receive a share of a £456m pot to help refurbishandrepairbuildings.

However, a group which represents education leaders says the funding is the "bare minimum" needed to improve the condition of school buildings

More than 1,000 building improvement projects will receive the green light as part of plans to ensure pupils have safe,warmandenergyefficient classrooms.

Minister for the School System, Baroness Diana Barransaid:"It'shugelyimportant that every school has access to high-quality learning facilities and these funding allocations willmakesurethatresponsible bodies can start to plan ahead and get projects started to replace roofs, boilers and windows.”

But Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "This is money allocated to address significant needs in terms of the condition of school and college buildings andismostcertainlynotanexampleofGovernmentlargesse.

"Itisthebareminimumand nowhere near enough to meet the cost of remedial work to repair or replace all defective elements in school – which at the last count stood at £11.4bn.

"A recent House of Commons report found that between 2009-10 and 2021-22, Department for Education capital spending declined by 50% in real terms."

TheGovernmentsaysithas already invested more than £15bn in upgrading buildings since 2015.