Prime Highlights:
- Hundreds of thousands of students will learn in modern, safe, and climate-resilient classrooms under the government’s new 10-year Education Estates Strategy.
- Every secondary school will eventually have an inclusion base to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Key Facts:
- Over £3.7 billion will be invested to create 60,000 new SEND school places across England.
- A £700 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme will fix urgent school building issues like leaky roofs, broken heating, and flood protection.
Background:
The government has unveiled a far-reaching 10-year Education Estates Strategy designed to overhaul school and college buildings across England, delivering modern, inclusive and environmentally resilient learning spaces for hundreds of thousands of pupils and students.
The decade-long programme aims to move away from what ministers describe as years of temporary “patch and repair” work on ageing facilities. Rather than continuing to allocate substantial funds to short-term fixes, the strategy prioritises major rebuilding projects, comprehensive refurbishments and upgrades to ensure buildings meet current standards and are prepared for future demands.
The plan also supports broader reforms for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), which are set to be detailed in the upcoming Schools White Paper. It builds on £200 million already directed towards specialist teacher training, the development of tens of thousands of additional SEND school places, and the introduction of “Inclusion” as a new category within Ofsted inspections.
Overall, more than £3.7 billion has been earmarked to deliver 60,000 new SEND places nationwide, reshaping education facilities to better reflect local community needs. New guidance will also be issued to help schools adapt underused areas, such as spare classrooms, into dedicated inclusion spaces.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson described the strategy as a clear shift in direction.
“For too long, schools and colleges have had to manage deteriorating buildings, focusing on issues like leaking roofs instead of concentrating on delivering high-quality education,” she said.
“This 10-year plan signals a major change. We are ending the cycle of short-term repairs through sustained national investment. Alongside record-long-term funding commitments, we are introducing a £700 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme to address issues early and prevent larger, more expensive problems in the future.”
She emphasised that the reforms extend beyond construction work. “Every child should be educated in a safe, accessible setting equipped with the facilities they need to succeed.”
The Education Estates Strategy outlines a long-term vision for inclusive, durable and high-quality education environments, positioning the coming decade as a transformative period for school and college infrastructure across England.
