Parents to be told if their child's school is falling down
Parents and teachers will be given detailed information about the state of repair of schools for the first time
PARENTS will be told whether their child’s school is in a state of decay following warnings that 700,000 pupils are taught in crumbling buildings.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has ordered officials to publish full details of every school building, revealing where repairs are urgently needed.
She believes it is important to give parents and teachers an accurate picture of the challenges facing the education sector, even though some of the findings are likely to come as a shock.
Spending watchdog the National Audit Office warned last year that nearly four in ten school buildings, many dating back to the 1930s, are still in use even though they were designed to be replaced by now.
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The condition of the nation’s schools is declining “following years of under-investment”, with cash going into emergency repairs rather than solving the problem, the watchdog said.
It warned: “Around 700,000 pupils are learning in a school that the responsible body or Department for Education believes requires major rebuilding or refurbishment.”
A detailed breakdown of the condition of every school is now to be published for the first time.
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The Department for Education insists no buildings are in such a poor state that they pose “an immediate threat to safety”, but problems range from leaky roofs to poorly insulated temporary classrooms.
Ms Phillipson said the schools estate had been in “continual decline”. She said: “I want to level with parents: this will not be a quick fix. We are still uncovering the mess left by the Conservatives about the condition of our schools, which will take many years to put right.
“But this government is determined to drive high and rising standards for children across our country and break down barriers to opportunity so that everyone can get on in life.”
