Safe and sustainable education premises: Creating a force for change
The start of the 2023 school year was marked by the RAAC crisis, which led to school closures nationwide for surveys and building work to secure sites. Crumbling concrete isn’t the only concern, however. The Commons Public Accounts Committee warned in their recent annual report that the Department for Education lacks sufficient information on asbestos prevalence in schools.
The School Rebuilding Programme, a ten-year project to fund the maintenance and rebuilding of over 500 schools, has faced delays. By September 2023, only 24 contracts were awarded – missing the forecast of 83. Only one project is complete so far, against a forecast of four.
