Stephen Morgan corrected a written answer on Schools: Buildings

27 January 2025 · Commons written answer · Department for Education

Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat, Harrogate and Knaresborough) asked written question 902398 on 21 January 2025. Stephen Morgan answered on 27 January 2025 for the Department for Education, and Stephen Morgan corrected the answer on 27 January 2025. The corrected text adds the figures 518, £1.4 billion, £2.1 billion, £300 million, £6.7 billion, which the original did not give. Altogether 237 words differ between the two versions.

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of school buildings.

Original and corrected answer

Struck through: original only. Bold: correction only.

Original	Corrected
Ensuring schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life. We are committed to improving the condition of the estate through the department’s annual funding, the continuing School Rebuilding Programme and by fixing the problem of ~~reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).~~	Ensuring schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life. Responsibility for keeping school buildings safe and well-maintained lies with the institutions and their responsible bodies - typically local authorities, academy trusts or voluntary aided school bodies. We support them by providing capital funding, delivering major rebuilding programmes and offering guidance and support. Where the department is notified of a significant safety issue with a building that cannot be managed independently, the department considers additional advice and support on a case-by-case basis. The department is working with expert groups, technical advisors and stakeholders to ensure we have an up-to-date understanding of future issues that could present themselves as the school and college estate ages. In addition to the ongoing Condition Data Collection 2, we have commissioned new research due to complete by spring 2026 which includes data analysis and field-work, with some in-depth surveys to better understand the performance of post-war education buildings. At the Autumn Budget 2024, this government increased capital allocations to improve the condition of school buildings to £2.1 billion for 2025/26. This is £300 million more than this financial year. This is on top of targeted support for RAAC. This is part of £6.7 billion in capital overall for education in 2025/26. We have committed £1.4 billion next year to support the current School Rebuilding Programme, which is rebuilding or significantly refurbishing buildings at 518 schools and sixth form colleges across England, prioritised on condition and safety. We are committed to improving the condition of the estate through the department’s annual funding, the continuing School Rebuilding Programme and by fixing the problem of RAAC.

Original

Corrected

Ensuring schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life.
We are committed to improving the condition of the estate through the department’s annual funding, the continuing School Rebuilding Programme and by fixing the problem of ~~reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).~~

Ensuring schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life.
Responsibility for keeping school buildings safe and well-maintained lies with the institutions and their responsible bodies - typically local authorities, academy trusts or voluntary aided school bodies. We support them by providing capital funding, delivering major rebuilding programmes and offering guidance and support.
Where the department is notified of a significant safety issue with a building that cannot be managed independently, the department considers additional advice and support on a case-by-case basis.
The department is working with expert groups, technical advisors and stakeholders to ensure we have an up-to-date understanding of future issues that could present themselves as the school and college estate ages. In addition to the ongoing Condition Data Collection 2, we have commissioned new research due to complete by spring 2026 which includes data analysis and field-work, with some in-depth surveys to better understand the performance of post-war education buildings.
At the Autumn Budget 2024, this government increased capital allocations to improve the condition of school buildings to £2.1 billion for 2025/26. This is £300 million more than this financial year. This is on top of targeted support for RAAC. This is part of £6.7 billion in capital overall for education in 2025/26.
We have committed £1.4 billion next year to support the current School Rebuilding Programme, which is rebuilding or significantly refurbishing buildings at 518 schools and sixth form colleges across England, prioritised on condition and safety.
We are committed to improving the condition of the estate through the department’s annual funding, the continuing School Rebuilding Programme and by fixing the problem of RAAC.

The question and answer on the Parliament website.

Receipt

Read from	https://questions-statements-api.parliament.uk/api/writtenquestions/questions/1758706?expandMember=true
Date read	15 October 2026
SHA-256	`d0660923ddb3d7911a7cada0d56afd69d9fa01277d9b28d31fe9de90878d41eb`