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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

The condition of school buildings

Status: Closed Opened: 24 May 2023 Closed: 8 Mar 2024 2 recommendations 40 conclusions 1 report

In March 2022 the Public Accounts Committee reported on the risks to schools’ financial sustainability , including wide variations in the condition of individual schools and their funding. The school estate in England comprises some 22,000 schools, with the majority overseen by the responsible body in control of the school, usually the relevant local authority …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Second Report - The condition of school buildings HC 78 19 Nov 2023 42 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 item
2 Conclusion Second Report - The condition of school… Accepted in Part

Clarify DfE's school estate safety risk appetite and publish its RAAC eradication plan.

DfE’s risk appetite regarding the school estate, and how this aligns with its recent approach on RAAC, appears unclear. Since summer 2021, DfE has recognised a significant safety risk across the school estate. In spring 2023, it continued to assess that its mitigations would not bring the risk likelihood down …

Government response. The government partially accepted, agreeing to clarify risk appetite with risks owned at Director General level, but did not commit to a clear timeline or financial plan for eradicating RAAC, stating technical advice does not recommend removal in all cases.
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
13 Jul 2023 Jane Balderstone · Department for Education, Jane Cunliffe · Department for Education, Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education View ↗

Correspondence

2 letters
DateDirectionTitle
26 Feb 2024 — Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Educ…
19 Sep 2023 — Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Educ…