School buildings play a central role in children’s learning, wellbeing and safety. Yet much of the UK’s education estate is ageing, inefficient and increasingly exposed to climate pressures such as overheating or flooding.
For years, voices across the country – from the Let’s Go Zero campaign, to the youth-led Teach the Future movement – have been calling for substantial investment to tackle crumbling buildings and ensure classrooms remain safe and productive places to learn.
Against this backdrop, the Department for Education published the Education Estates Strategy: the government’s long-term vision for modernising school buildings so that they are more resilient, efficient and sustainable.
While the strategy acknowledges the scale of the challenge facing schools, it also offers something the sector has been missing for some time: a clearer direction of travel.
I regularly hear from primary schools who have long been saying what the strategy now recognises: buildings are not simply a facilities issue. Their condition and design are closely tied to pupil outcomes, staff wellbeing and the long-term sustainability of the sector.
For that reason, whilst the strategy has significant implications for those responsible for managing school estates, its implications will be felt by everyone who works or learns in a primary school building.
Alongside making sure buildings are ‘safe’, ‘suitable’ and sufficiently sized’, sustainability is listed as a key priority objective for estates management. Raising the bar significantly, estates are to be designed with ‘nature and climate in mind’.
What this actually means, is that is that both new and existing schools will be designed, or adapted to be energy efficient, low-carbon and as green as possible.
From expectation to support
The Education Estates Strategy does a good job at setting an admittedly ambitious national direction, but what does this mean for your school?
The strategy commits to supporting all settings to develop climate action plans and appointing a sustainability lead – two things the DfE already expects all settings to have in place. This shift from expectation to proactive support is an important one.
Without a climate action plan, Dawn Houldershaw, the academy operations manager at King Edward VI Academy in Lincolnshire, was hesitant about taking on climate action, and pessimistic about what the school could realistically achieve.
Within a year of implementing a plan created with their Climate Action Advisor, they managed to reduce their carbon emissions by 43 tonnes CO₂. This brought down their monthly energy costs significantly just through improved monitoring and tweaking their Building Management Systems settings.
In addition, they accessed £12,000 in funding from the National Education Nature Park, which was used to install a natural pond on site, an orangery, vegetable planters and even beehives.
Funding: the crucial piece of the puzzle
Schools like King Edward VI Academy demonstrate how even relatively small interventions can make a difference over time, particularly when they form part of a clear and well-planned strategy. But ambition alone will not modernise the school estate; funding will be key.
Thankfully, this is one of the strongest aspects of the strategy. The Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP, promised to “turn the page on years of neglect”, announcing an investment in education capital of £38 billion for 2025-26 to 2029-30 – the highest since 2010.
A new Renewal and Retrofit programme will ringfence £710 million for projects that fall between routine maintenance and full rebuilding. This could include replacing ageing roofs, improving heating systems or addressing insulation and draught issues.
The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), which many schools found time-intensive and highly competitive, will also be phased out. If a new approach simplifies access to funding while increasing overall investment, it could make a significant difference for responsible bodies managing school estates.
Exactly how new funding programmes will work in practice remains to be seen, but any move that streamlines funding while supporting climate resilience will be widely welcomed.
Unlocking private finance
Alongside public investment, the strategy also highlights the role of private finance in accelerating large-scale improvements.
For several years, Let’s Go Zero has been calling for clearer guidance on, and less barriers to, repayable finance – particularly for projects such as solar panels, which can deliver long-term savings.
This builds on progress already made by the Great British Energy Solar Programme, which will install solar panels on just over 250 schools across the country, saving participating settings thousands of pounds per year on their bills.
However, with more than 22,000 schools and colleges across the UK, scaling this progress will require clearer procurement routes and approved financing models if we are to decarbonise the whole school estate.
Encouragingly, the estates strategy recognises this, noting the DfE is ‘working to unlock privately financed investment’. The real test will be delivery, but it’s positive to see the DfE signal support for approving Power Purchase Agreements – streamlining the process and removing the burden on school leaders to navigate complex solar funding options themselves.
The estate of the future
Looking ahead, the Education Estates Strategy signals a shift towards a more joined-up approach to managing school buildings.
Rather than focusing solely on short-term repairs or isolated projects, the aim is to take a longer-term view that considers the overall condition of the estate, the need to adapt to climate risks and the importance of reducing emissions.
The growing number of schools taking part in initiatives such as Let’s Go Zero shows that many settings are already keen to take practical steps. With the right support and investment, the new estates strategy could help accelerate this progress across the education sector.
Alex Green is head of Let’s Go Zero.
