IFS: The decline in spending on school building

Safety concerns about school buildings have put school capital spending at the forefront of public debate. In this comment, we show that average capital spending on schools has fallen by around a quarter in real-terms since the mid-2000s, and is 50% below its 2010 peak. Indeed, average spending per year over the last three years is lower than any point since at least 2004. Funding allocations for school maintenance and rebuilding are also more than 40% below government-assessed levels of need.

Luke Sibieta, Research Fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies said: 

'Spending on school buildings is low in historical terms and low compared with levels of need, as assessed both by the independent National Audit Office and the Department for Education itself. The current crisis illustrates just how costly failing to keep on top of necessary investment in buildings and infrastructure can be.'

READ THE FULL BRIEFING HERE.