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
6
Accepted in Part
Require all school bodies to undertake structured surveys and risk assessments of higher-risk buildings.
Recommendation
The DfE should require all responsible bodies managing potentially problematic structures within the school estate to undertake a structured survey and risk assessment of higher-risk building types at least every three to five years. (Recommendation, Paragraph 39)
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Government Response Summary
The government partially accepts the recommendation, agreeing that regular surveys are essential and that responsible bodies should have up-to-date condition surveys for their buildings, and that the frequency for updating a condition survey will depend on a building’s characteristics. It will ask responsible bodies to make a light touch annual return via the new digital service Manage Your Education Estate from Autumn 2026 to confirm they are meeting the School Estate Management Standards.
Department for Education
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14
Accepted in Part
Release full system-build research results and set clear actions based on those findings promptly.
Recommendation
The DfE should release the full results of its system-build research as soon as they are available and no later than its own timescale of Spring 2026, and set out clear actions based on those findings. (Recommendation, Paragraph 58)
Government Response Summary
The department is committed to publishing findings from the Older Buildings Research, with technical findings expected in Spring 2026, and will publish a summary of a technical findings and outline the steps they will take to address them before the summer.
Department for Education
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15
Accepted in Part
Establish a long-term programme to replace or modernise high-risk system-built school blocks.
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government establish a long-term programme to replace or modernise system-built blocks most at risk, aligning investment with safety priorities. (Recommendation, Paragraph 59)
Government Response Summary
The government has partially accepted, stating they are investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034-35 but do not anticipate including any specific system or construction types as a matter of course.
Department for Education
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Conclusions (1)
13
Conclusion
Accepted in Part
System-build schools are a legacy of a different era: built fast, with limited design life, and now ageing under conditions they were never intended to endure. While we welcome the DfE’s proactive research and its early indications of no widespread risk, without deeper structural surveys and enriched information, the Department …
Government Response Summary
The department is committed to publishing findings from the Older Buildings Research and will publish a summary of a technical findings and outline the steps we will take to address them.