Labour’s Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has publicly condemned the state of England’s school buildings, revealing that some children have been forced to learn in cupboards and noisy, makeshift classrooms due to years of neglect and inadequate investment. Speaking to The Mirror, Phillipson described the profound disruption such environments cause, recounting visits to schools affected by crumbling infrastructure where lessons sometimes take place in converted stationery cupboards or overcrowded dining halls repurposed as classrooms. She emphasised the detrimental impact on children’s ability to concentrate and on teachers’ capacity to deliver quality education, recalling her own experience attending schools with portacabins that were unbearably cold in winter and stifling in summer.

The backdrop to Phillipson’s remarks is a striking new government commitment: a ten-year, £38 billion capital investment plan aimed at revitalising England’s educational infrastructure alongside upgrades to hospitals, courts, and prisons. This announcement comes amid growing alarm over the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) — a low-cost building material used for decades — in more than 100 school buildings, which were subsequently closed amid fears of structural collapse. Phillipson expressed shock at the “defining image” of children sitting in classrooms propped up by steel girders, calling such conditions “completely unacceptable” and vowed that all RAAC occurrences had been identified and addressed. She and Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited Wrotham School in Kent, currently undergoing a £42 million rebuild, with the headteacher highlighting how investment in modern facilities boosts pupils’ morale and signals respect for their education.

However, the urgency of this intervention cannot be overstated. Investigations have revealed that over 1.5 million children across England are learning in dilapidated school buildings, with one in six schools requiring major repairs or rated as in poor condition. A significant portion of the country’s 24,000 school buildings — approximately 38% — are beyond their intended design lifespan, raising serious safety and wellbeing concerns for pupils and staff alike. Reports from multiple independent sources, including The Guardian and ITV News, underline that deteriorating infrastructure presents critical risks, with many schools still struggling with cold, damp, overcrowded, and unsafe conditions. These issues extend beyond occasional disruption, threatening the physical safety of children and potentially causing “irreparable” harm to their education and wellbeing, as highlighted by UK Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

Parallel investigations have revealed that many schools have been repeatedly denied funding for essential repairs, leading to a vicious cycle of decay. The National Audit Office has criticised the Department for Education for lacking adequate information to manage the risks posed by aging school infrastructure effectively. Meanwhile, headteachers and educational bodies warn that crumbling classrooms exacerbate teacher burnout and pupil behavioural issues, placing the entire education system under strain. Calls for urgent, sustained funding echo throughout these reports, urging the government to match the scale of the challenge with more than short-term fixes.

The government’s extended infrastructure plan promises to inject nearly £3 billion annually by 2035 for school maintenance alone, alongside significant funding for the removal of RAAC from other public buildings including NHS facilities and prisons. This strategy aims not only to halt further decay but also to foster a brighter educational future. Chancellor Reeves has described the strategy as pivotal for unlocking growth and reversing the “decay that has seeped into our everyday lives” due to a “total failure to plan and invest” over previous years.

Trade unions have welcomed the plan as a long-overdue opportunity to rebuild critical infrastructure after more than a decade of underinvestment. The Trades Union Congress General Secretary Paul Nowak highlighted the chance to repair schools, hospitals, reservoirs, and railways collectively, stressing the necessity of seizing this moment to correct years of neglect and mismanagement.

While the government’s plan signals a hopeful turning point, the scale and severity of the school infrastructure crisis underscore the critical importance of swift and comprehensive action to ensure children no longer endure learning environments that hinder their education and wellbeing.

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Source: Noah Wire Services