Blog post
Autumn Budget: £1.4bn investment in school rebuilding
Teach the Future and Let's Go Zero
October 28, 2024
This £1.4bn investment in school rebuilding is a step in the right direction but it only scrapes the surface.
This £1.4bn investment in school rebuilding is a step in the right direction but it only scrapes the surface.
We have written the following statement with Let's Go Zero.
This £1.4bn investment in school rebuilding is a step in the right direction towards making all schools safe learning and working environments. The Education Secretary has heard the concerns of students and teachers over crumbling school infrastructure, and is signalling a commitment to ensuring that the mistakes of the past are never repeated again.
With this additional investment, the Department for Education cannot afford to miss the opportunity to align the School Rebuilding Programme with the UK’s goal of hitting net zero by 2050, as the previous Government had committed to. Doing so will deliver myriad benefits for students and school staff, alongside tackling the climate emergency – which we know will impact future generations more than anyone. Children are already coping with excessive temperatures that affect their ability to concentrate in lessons, with a 1°C increase in temperatures linked to a 2% decline in learning. School buildings are a significant source of public sector emissions and cannot be ignored in the journey to decarbonisation. A net-zero retrofit would not only be good for the planet, but also make school buildings more resilient and comfortable for those who learn and work in them.
Whilst a very positive step, this investment will only scratch the surface of issues with school infrastructure and much more action is needed. Education must remain a priority post-Budget, as the Government begins to look ahead to the Spending Review next year. 50 schools per year is a good starting point but does not address the scale of the problem at hand. We recognise the challenges facing the new Government, which is why it must seize this moment to join up its Departmental missions of rebuilding the infrastructure of opportunity with clean British energy. We call on the government to use these 50 schools as a template for how decarbonisation of the school estate can work and to expand its commitment at the Spring Spending Review to ensure all schools are refurbished to net zero standards and resilient against climate impacts.