Written statement: Education Estates - Feb 11

Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson): Today, we are setting out our plans for an education estate in England that supports opportunity for all. The education estate is a platform for opportunity, learning and communities. With over 22,000 schools and colleges across England, the estate supports the outcomes, health and wellbeing of over 10 million children and young people.

High-quality and inspiring school and college buildings are essential to delivering world-class education and creating the conditions for all children and young people to achieve and thrive. The public saw clearly through the disruption caused by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) when this all goes wrong, and we see it every day when schools are not designed to be inclusive for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Historical underinvestment and a lack of long-term funding certainty and strategic planning have contributed to a rising maintenance backlog. Schools and colleges have had to patch and mend buildings that have already deteriorated and are not resilient enough to climate change. The estate needs to be suitably sized at both a local and national level and be flexible to meet changing needs from children, young people and their community.

Children with SEND have a right to attend and be included at their local school but schools have not been designed to be inclusive environments. That ends now as we lay the groundwork for an inclusive education system where children are supported at the earliest stage and can thrive in a school that meets their needs, close to home. We want schools to be inclusive by design to support children and young people with SEND.

We are investing over £3.7 billion through to 2029-30 to deliver specialist places for children and young people with SEND, including through the expansion of inclusion bases within the mainstream system so they can learn amongst their peers. Many schools already provide exceptional support for children who need it, through SEN units, resourced provision and pupil support units. But we know that the variety of provision, and the inconsistent terminology is difficult for parents to understand and navigate. We will replace the current terms with the term inclusion bases and publish national guidance on best practice. This will make it easier for parents to understand what support is available for their child and to recognise what good looks like. And today, we are setting out our ambition that, over time, every secondary school in England will have an inclusion base, alongside thousands of places in primary schools.

Many schools already have this type of provision in place, and so in lots of cases this will be a continuation of the support children and young people with SEND already receive. Where new places are needed, including by repurposing existing space, this can be supported by our capital investment. We will also publish new dedicated guidance on high-impact adaptations in mainstream settings to enhance inclusivity and accessibility, supporting local authorities, responsible bodies, and education settings. More detail on how we will support more children and young people with SEND to achieve and thrive will be set out in the Schools White Paper.

Today's Education Estates Strategy is supported by unprecedented long-term funding and investment in education capital of £38 billion to 2029-30 – the highest since 2010. At the core of our strategy is a shift to more proactive management, long-term strategic maintenance and more renewal of the existing estate. This is alongside building and rebuilding where renewal is not possible, and ensuring there are high-quality places from early years to post-16.

In addition to investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034-35 in capital maintenance and renewal for schools and colleges, we will go further by launching a new Renewal and Retrofit Programme for schools and colleges from April 2026. This is backed by over £700 million to 2029-30 and will tackle projects such as fixing roofs and broken heating systems so buildings can last for decades to come, be more resilient to climate change as well as protecting more schools from flooding. We will support schools and colleges to reduce energy costs by unlocking private finance investment in solar and energy efficiency measures and invest over £300 million to 2029-30 to expand Connect the Classroom so schools have access to fast, reliable broadband.

We are investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034-35 to rebuild schools and sixth-form colleges across England. Over 500 schools are already in the programme, and we will select a further 250 schools by early 2027. Buildings will be future proofed for climate change with new designs that improve outdoor facilities, increase access to nature and improve indoor air quality. Through our new construction framework and design specifications, we are supporting local workforces and creating around 13,000 skills opportunities including apprenticeships and T Level placement opportunities. We will continue to deliver places where they are needed from early years to post-16, including thousands more school-based nursery places and creating extra capacity to support increases in 16- to 18-year-old learners.

We will support Responsible Bodies to proactively and effectively manage their estates. This includes setting out clear standards for estate management alongside guidance, tools and data to support them and a new digital service to make it easier to access estates guidance, programmes and funding.

Children, families and communities are at the heart of our education estates strategy. Through our 10 year plan, we will deliver a decade of national renewal for schools and colleges as we continue our journey for an education estate that is fit for now and the future.