The Education Estates Strategy (EES) is a document outlining the government’s plan to sustainably improve the “education estate”; the document, published in February, puts forth a plan to transform the buildings and physical infrastructure that makes up our schools and colleges in England.
Primarily, the EES has been launched to introduce a new approach to capital funding, ensuring that educational facilities receive sustained, long-term investment to build, rebuild and improve buildings.
An unprecedented £38bn has been committed between the 2025/26 and 2029/30 academic years. This is the highest investment from parliament since 2010.
Hopes are that this slower, prolonged funding strategy will put an end to the stop-start nature of the past. But how can schools access this new funding, and what can it be spent on?
Maintaining and rebuilding your estate
The EES is a commitment to long-term funding for the maintenance and renewal of schools. With a focus on strategy, even in the granular areas like repairs, the government wants estates managers to prioritise proactive work rather than emergency ‘patch’ repairs.
The government has ringfenced £3bn per year for this part of the strategy, designed to give schools and colleges a greater certainty and stability that support building longevity into its assets.
Condition improvement and renewal programmes
One of the most significant items in the Strategy is the introduction of the Renewal & Retrofit Programme. Replacing the Condition Improvement Fund, this new scheme aims to provide easier access to funds for ‘resilience work’ such as roof replacements, energy efficiency projects and toilet refurbishments.
The R&RP will be supported with £710m of investment until the 2029/30 academic year.
School Rebuilding Programme
A longstanding and successful funding scheme, the School Rebuilding Programme, continues to be supported, with nearly £20bn cited in the EES to be committed until 2034/35.
This funding is specifically for schools and colleges that are beyond repair, needing comprehensive renewal and rebuilding. Schools that have been built with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) have been able to use the SRP to ensure their buildings are safe from further damage.
A success story in itself, the SRP has transformed over 500 schools, with a further 250 schools on the waiting list.
Targeted funding for priorities
Highlighting areas of the sector that are either underfunded or overstretched, the EES also provides support for specific parts of school infrastructure, including:
-Inclusion and SEND capabilities - £3.7bn has been allocated for the next five years to fund adaptations to mainstream schools.
- School-based nurseries: the needs for thousands of extra nursery places within schools has inspired the government to dedicated £400m to refurbish and rebuild existing buildings.
- Digital connectivity: the government has funded its new “Connect the Classroom” scheme with £325m to address and expand broadband access in schools.
- FE and Sixth Form expansion: as we reported earlier this month, the government has provided £395m until 2029/30 to help create space for post-16 learning in both devolved and non-devolved counties.
A proactive shift in funding
These are only some of the changes and launches that the government has covered in the EES, but these have highlighted a definitive change in how funding will be treated and distributed across the next five years.
There is so much to grasp with this new plan, but this structured approach will help many to navigate this vital provision.