A recent survey by the UK’s biggest education union has revealed reports of numerous concerning issues in school buildings in England and Wales. The National Education Union (NEU) polled its members on the state of school buildings and received responses including complaints of vermin and pests (40%), sewage/wastewater issues (25%) and leaking buildings (68%). Almost half (45%) of teachers complained of mould or damp in their school, with a fifth (21%) describing the issue as “moderate or severe”. Problems with overheating classrooms in summer and cold classrooms in winter were also common.
Worryingly, more than half (57%) of the teachers who responded to the NEU survey said the state of their school facilities was so bad it was having a negative impact on the learning environment.
The statistics above clearly paint a problematic picture of the state of School buildings in the country. Unfortunately, many of the issues described by respondents to the survey are commonly encountered by our own School BuildingConsultants when visiting schools across the North West.
Amongst the many issues we see in school properties, the most common ones include:
- Heating systems failing due to old, corroded steel pipes
- Boiler breakdowns
- Ancient electrical systems
- Damp – condensation
- Smelly toilets – poor ventilation
- Poor drains. Toilets backing up.
- Black mould
- Roof leaks with buckets to collect drips
- Stained ceilings
- Classrooms being taken out of use
- Inadequate safeguarding
- Poor fire alarms
- RAAC
- Asbestos presence / management issues
- Safety issues in kitchens – ancient cooking equipment, poor gas & ventilation provision
These issues are unpleasant at the very least, with some putting pupils and staff at risk.
With schools facing a constant battle against ageing infrastructure and a seemingly reduced pot of funding to access, it is more important than ever for schools to seek the right advice. Schools must make sure that they employ a good School Building Consultant who knows how to access funding and can best place them to win bids from the scarce funding that is available.
Lea Hough have an excellent track record of helping schools to gain funding for school building repairs. To speak to one of our outbuilding consultants and arrange a free of charge, please get in touch.
