{"id":228150,"date":"2025-04-04T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=228150"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:57:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T14:57:45","slug":"schools-repair-bill-much-higher-than-13-8bn-estimate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/schools-repair-bill-much-higher-than-13-8bn-estimate\/","title":{"rendered":"Schools\u2019 repair bill \u2018much higher\u2019 than \u00a313.8bn estimate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The true cost of bringing the school estate up to scratch is \u201calmost certain\u201d to be more than official estimates of \u00a313.8 billion, warn senior civil servants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Whitehall\u2019s highest-ranking mandarins was forced to make the concession after MPs voiced concerns about inflation and the crumbly concrete crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It comes after the Department for Education increased the condition pot available to the smallest academy trusts by 4 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere have been years and years of neglect,\u201d said Hilary Goldsmith, a school business leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSchools are having to make do with tiny amounts of money to patch and fix things. The failure to invest in infrastructure now is only making bigger problems for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further deterioration and rising building fees<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to the National Audit Office (NAO), the DfE requested \u00a34 billion a year between 2021 and 2025, but was allocated \u00a33.1 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Cat Little<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An NAO<\/a> report, published in January, estimated that the maintenance backlog \u2013 the value of work that has been deferred or not carried out \u2013 in schools stood at \u00a313.8 billion. This was calculated using condition data collected between 2017 and 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But during a public accounts committee meeting this week, Labour MP Luke Charters noted the figure could now be \u201cmuch higher\u201d because of further deterioration, the discovery of RAAC and spiralling construction costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response Cat Little, the Cabinet Office permanent secretary and civil service chief operating officer,  said: \u201cIt is almost certain that that number is higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is why, if you go back to the budget in 2024, the Treasury put in significantly more money to top up the schools building programme as well as the maintenance programme.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Association of School and College Leaders urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to \u201crestore this lost capital expenditure\u201d in her spring statement. But she ignored the calls, ploughing ahead with previously agreed packages for repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Shrinking’ condition pot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Almost \u00a3470 million has been pledged for schools eligible for the condition improvement fund (CIF), a 4.4 per cent increase on last year\u2019s \u00a3450 million pot<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, previous CIF application windows \u2013 which are only open to standalone academies or trusts with fewer than five schools \u2013 paid out more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, more than \u00a3563 million was awarded, although the number of successful applications tumbled more than 60 per cent, from about 2,100 to just under 830.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim Warneford, an academy funding consultant, said this had left schools to vie for a \u201cshrinking pot\u201d amid \u201ca sinking tide of dilapidation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiven the political capital Labour has made out of the previous administration\u2019s lack of investment, is this a figure that genuinely addresses this? Frankly, the answer is no.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trusts with more than five schools automatically get capital funding through the school condition allocation. The government has allocated just under \u00a31.4 billion to eligible councils and trusts, 19 per cent more than last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warneford stressed the condition threats \u201cdo not stop at RAAC\u201d, adding there was a \u201csignificant risk around electrical infrastructure and boilers \u2013 things that can stop a school opening\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

High-ranking Whitehall official warns cost to fix crumbling estate ‘almost certain’ to be more than thought<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311204,"featured_media":228108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2212,2120,239,324,2571,1710],"post-theme":[2425],"class_list":["post-228150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-cif","tag-condition","tag-education-policy","tag-funding","tag-sca","tag-school-rebuilding","post-theme-school-funding"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t