Recommendations & Conclusions
6 items
10
Conclusion
Second Report - The condition of school…
Not Addressed
It is unclear whether decisions concerned with addressing the condition of the estate are coordinated with those relating to the need for school places. Historically, there have been instances of school closures just before another demographic wave of children that means more school places have to be created. More recently, …
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It is unclear whether decisions concerned with addressing the condition of the estate are coordinated with those relating to the need for school places. Historically, there have been instances of school closures just before another demographic wave of children that means more school places have to be created. More recently, in some areas—for example, London—we have seen diminishing school rolls which raises the question of potential closures. Both situations may complicate decisions about which schools to maintain or refurbish. There is no requirement for responsible bodies to work together to, for example, consider possible closures or amalgamations of schools on borough boundaries to ensure the most efficient option is chosen. Given the recognised autonomy of responsible bodies, DfE’s regional directors do not typically play a strong role in school closure decisions, but they engage with schools and other bodies to discuss such issues. From a departmental perspective, when considering School Rebuilding Programme applications, DfE checks the forecast pupil numbers to ensure that the school merits a full rebuild. Ideally, DfE The condition of school buildings 9 would like more school places than there are children, to support parental choice in the system. In some places, sites no longer needed for primary schools might be re-purposed to provide more childcare and early years provision, or opportunities for more special and alternative provision. Recommendation 10: DfE should consider how local authorities can best be supported, and put in place the necessary measures, to ensure that the need for high quality places across the estate is considered when decisions are taken on reducing school places locally. 10 The condition of school buildings 1 Building safety issues in schools
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Government response AI summary
The government response addresses unrelated conclusions and recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee regarding the Health Transformation Programme and disability benefits, failing to address the recommendation concerning school places and estate management by the DfE.
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HM Treasury
1
Conclusion
Second Report - The condition of school…
Not Addressed
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we first took evidence from the Department for Education (DfE) about the condition of school buildings in England in July 2023.1 On 31 August 2023, DfE significantly changed its safety guidance for schools that were confirmed to have …
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On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we first took evidence from the Department for Education (DfE) about the condition of school buildings in England in July 2023.1 On 31 August 2023, DfE significantly changed its safety guidance for schools that were confirmed to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) – a lightweight form of concrete susceptible to structural failure that could lead to a school building suddenly collapsing.2 In response, we took evidence from DfE again in September 2023.
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Government response AI summary
The government response reiterates the committee's introductory summary about taking evidence from the DfE regarding school building conditions and RAAC guidance changes, serving as a preamble to its full response.
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HM Treasury
24
Conclusion
Second Report - The condition of school…
We asked about the information DfE holds on the number of teaching staff who have died from asbestos-related conditions. DfE explained that the Health and Safety Executive reviews death certificates to produce data on the last known profession of people who have died. DfE stated that it reviews the ages …
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We asked about the information DfE holds on the number of teaching staff who have died from asbestos-related conditions. DfE explained that the Health and Safety Executive reviews death certificates to produce data on the last known profession of people who have died. DfE stated that it reviews the ages of those who have died from mesothelioma and were recorded as teachers. It explained that there were around seven such deaths per year in the 2000s, but between 2011 and 2020 this rose to around 11 per year. While the number of people has increased in those more recent years, DfE said it thought they were mainly those who were exposed some decades ago. In DfE’s view, because of the long latency period of the disease the problems seem to date from a period when asbestos was not as tightly regulated as it is now.40 39 July 2023 session, Qq 9–11 40 July 2023 session, Qq 78–79 16 The condition of school buildings 2 DfE’s oversight of the condition of school buildings Pupils learning in poorly maintained or potentially unsafe buildings
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HM Treasury
27
Conclusion
Second Report - The condition of school…
We asked DfE whether the 64,000 buildings on the school estate include temporary buildings, Portakabins and similar blocks. It replied that the first Condition Data Collection programme (CDC1), from which the total number of buildings was derived, did include such buildings. DfE later clarified that the CDC1 visits, which took …
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We asked DfE whether the 64,000 buildings on the school estate include temporary buildings, Portakabins and similar blocks. It replied that the first Condition Data Collection programme (CDC1), from which the total number of buildings was derived, did include such buildings. DfE later clarified that the CDC1 visits, which took place from 2017 to 2019, had identified 5,749 relocatable mobile blocks in use across the school estate. DfE also explained that many school rebuilding projects—especially for secondary schools—involve rationalising several old blocks, some of which are temporary, into a single new block.43
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HM Treasury
28
Conclusion
Second Report - The condition of school…
Not Addressed
DfE told us that its CDC1 programme involved giving a ‘grade’ to every building component within each school. There were four available grades, from A to D, with grades C and D denoting a less than satisfactory condition. DfE explained that it gave a grade C to 2.1% of components, …
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DfE told us that its CDC1 programme involved giving a ‘grade’ to every building component within each school. There were four available grades, from A to D, with grades C and D denoting a less than satisfactory condition. DfE explained that it gave a grade C to 2.1% of components, and a grade D to 0.3% of components. It accepted that, while these numbers seem low, they still represent a significant number of schools, and large numbers of pupils are learning in those schools. DfE said that it is using its second Condition Data 41 TSB0007, The Confederation of School Trusts, The condition of school buildings, 13 July 2023 42 C&AG’s Report, Figure 5; paras 2.9, 3.11 43 July 2023 session, Q 72; Correspondence from DfE to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, 7 September 2023 The condition of school buildings 17 Collection programme (CDC2) to check whether it can address those components in the worst condition. But this still requires decisions about prioritisation, and there is also the risk that DfE is considering only the known issues in schools.44 DfE’s focus on reactive measures
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Government response AI summary
The government response provides statistics on the school estate's condition and states that CDC2 is underway to provide updated data, but does not address the committee's concerns about prioritisation decisions or the risk of considering only known issues.
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HM Treasury
41
Conclusion
Second Report - The condition of school…
Not Addressed
For maintained schools, the lead decision-maker about educational provision and the upkeep of buildings is the local authority, which retains responsibility for sufficiency of school places. DfE told us that its regional directors do not typically play a strong role in decisions about school closures, although they engage with maintained …
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For maintained schools, the lead decision-maker about educational provision and the upkeep of buildings is the local authority, which retains responsibility for sufficiency of school places. DfE told us that its regional directors do not typically play a strong role in decisions about school closures, although they engage with maintained schools and other 59 July 2023 session, Q 80 60 TSB0001, Catholic Education Service, The condition of school buildings, 13 July 2023 61 July 2023 session, Qq 24–25 62 July 2023 session, Qq 82–86 63 July 2023 session, Qq 29–31 20 The condition of school buildings bodies. It also explained that it was looking at opportunities to use school space differently – for example, by using primary school sites for childcare and early years provision, or expanding the space for special and alternative provision.64
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Government response AI summary
The government reiterates that local authorities have the statutory duty for school places and manage demand, with recent changes to Dedicated Schools Grant providing flexibility for falling rolls, but the response does not address DfE regional directors' roles or the exploration of alternative uses for …
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HM Treasury