Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
7th Report - Foundations of Learning: replacing RAAC and securing school buildings
Education Committee
HC 1399
Published 11 February 2026
Recommendations
10
Accepted
Publish and implement the promised estate strategy to reduce maintenance backlog and replace school buildings.
Recommendation
The Government should publish and implement its promised estate strategy without delay, setting clear milestones for reducing the maintenance backlog and replacing life-expired buildings. (Recommendation, Paragraph 50)
Government Response Summary
The government states that they already published the Education Estates Strategy on 11 February 2026 which sets out clear milestones for implementation and includes detailed milestones in annex A for responsible bodies, schools and colleges.
Department for Education
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11
Accepted
Provide targeted guidance, training, and funding for all responsible bodies to meet estate management standards.
Recommendation
We recommend that the DfE provide targeted guidance, training, and funding to ensure all responsible bodies, particularly smaller Multi- Academy Trusts, can meet estate management standards effectively. (Recommendation, Paragraph 51)
Government Response Summary
The government will set clear estate management standards and expectations, make guidance more accessible, and provide additional materials like a digital self-assessment tool. They will also ask responsible bodies to make an annual return to confirm they are meeting the School Estate Management Standard, and are investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034–35 in capital maintenance.
Department for Education
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12
Accepted
Maintain and publish accurate, up-to-date data on the school estate's condition and progress.
Recommendation
The Government must maintain and publish accurate, up-to-date data on the condition of the school estate, including progress against remediation and rebuild targets, to build public confidence and accountability. (Recommendation, Paragraph 52) 19
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation and will go further on data and digital transformation, building on the consistent and high-quality data collected through the Condition Data Collection Programme; they will also publish common data and digital structures from April 2026 and introduce two-way data sharing by 2028.
Department for Education
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16
Accepted
Align school building investment with SEND inclusion to create excellent learning environments.
Recommendation
Reflecting on the Committee’s wider recent work, particularly on SEND, we recommend that the Government seeks to ensure that when investment is being made to address safety concerns and to replace or refurbish the most outdated school buildings, it aligns …
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Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, stating that they want buildings to be inclusive by design so that all pupils, especially those with SEND, can learn in high-quality, comfortable and supportive environments, and are investing at least £3.7 billion in high needs capital funding between 2025-26 and 2029-30 to create 60,000 specialist places.
Department for Education
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Conclusions (1)
9
Conclusion
Accepted
Funding should move beyond short-term patching and repairs toward comprehensive upgrades and rebuilds, prioritising schools beyond their design life and those posing the greatest safety risks. (Conclusion, Paragraph 49)
Government Response Summary
The Government claims it is already addressing the issue of school funding through the Education Estates Strategy, the School Rebuilding Programme (investing almost £20 billion through to 2034-35, covering 750 schools) and almost £3 billion per year invested by 2034–35 in capital maintenance. Renewal and Retrofit Programme is backed by over £700 million to 2029-30.