A proposed real-terms cut to capital budgets risks exacerbating school maintenance backlogs and shows the government does “not care about the state of school buildings”, a union leader has said.
The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that 43 more schools in England were constructed with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and need refurbishment, bringing the total to 214.
The government will need to spend an additional £4.4bn a year to reverse the decline in capital funding and ensure schools are safe for children, unions have said.
The government will set the “most generous bar” when funding the costs of contingency and reconstruction works for schools affected by RAAC, a senior official has said.
Rishi Sunak cut funding for rebuilding schools with dangerous concrete construction while chancellor despite warnings of “a critical risk to life”, a former permanent secretary has claimed.
