A damning poll has revealed school buildings blighted by leaking roofs and windows, damp, mould, asbestos, ageing boilers and fire doors, and even MDF holding up walls.
It found 51% of its members taking part in England had buildings or areas that were out of use or not fit for purpose.
Leaders are calling for more capital funding for the school estate, with one urging action to ‘end the heartbreak of books versus pipes’ as teaching budgets are increasingly raided to fund vital repairs and maintenance.
At a time when the government is proposing reforms it says will equip mainstream schools to support more pupils with special educational needs (SEND), almost half of leaders said specialist SEND facilities such as dedicated classrooms, sensory rooms and outdoor spaces were not fit for purpose (41%) or closed (3%).
Steve Hitchcock, head teacher at St Peter's CE Primary School in Budleigh Salterton and NAHT’s Devon branch secretary, said: “I need to replace old temporary classrooms. I have to throw good money after bad, just to keep repairing leaks and issues.
“I don't have enough money to replace carpets and decorate - simple annual tasks. The school estate is being run down. The longer this goes on the more money it will cost in the long run.
“Last year we ran a major fundraising campaign to bridge the gap in funding, including a pupil-led ‘Run the School Day’ which raised £13,000. It was a brilliant example of pupil voice and community spirit, but it does raise a serious question about why schools are having to rely on this level of effort just to meet basic needs.
“In the past month alone, I’ve secured a £30,000 grant from a local charity to repair two classrooms. We are incredibly grateful for that generosity, but it highlights the growing challenge schools face in compensating for the decline in capital funding over the last decade.”
The National Audit Office has estimated the cost of restoring school buildings in England to at least a satisfactory condition at £13.8bn.
While the government recently expanded the school rebuilding programme to cover an additional 250 schools, taking the number to 750 by 2035, that means it would still take more than 400 years to rebuild all 22,000 state schools.
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