Education Estates Strategy: A decade of national renewal

The publication of the Department for Education’s new Education Estates Strategy marks possibly the most significant education policy announcement this academic year. Given the implication on the role of many ISBL members, we’d like to expand on what this new government strategy means for our sector.

The Education Estates Strategy sets out a ten-year vision for transforming the school and college estate across England. It reflects a clear shift in national thinking: school buildings are no longer viewed simply as assets to maintain, but as critical infrastructure that underpins educational standards, inclusion, sustainability, and economic renewal. The condition of the estate is positioned not as a background operational issue, but as a central enabler of opportunity and national growth.

At its heart, the strategy begins with safety. High-profile structural concerns in recent years have reinforced the need for a more rigorous, proactive approach to risk management. The Government signals that safeguarding pupils and staff through safe, compliant buildings is non-negotiable. This means sharper oversight of structural integrity, fire safety, asbestos management, and other statutory duties. Schools and trusts are expected to hold reliable, up-to-date data and to demonstrate strong compliance systems. The era of reactive maintenance is steadily being replaced by one of preventative assurance.

Beyond safety, the strategy recognises that the quality of buildings directly affects the quality of education. Learning environments influence attendance, behaviour, staff recruitment, and the delivery of inclusive provision, particularly for pupils with SEND. Over the coming decade, the ambition is for school buildings to actively support curriculum delivery and digital innovation, rather than constrain them. Temporary accommodation and poorly configured spaces are increasingly viewed as barriers to educational improvement. Investment in rebuilding and refurbishment is therefore framed not simply as capital expenditure, but as an investment in standards.

Sustainability forms a further cornerstone of the strategy. Schools occupy a substantial public estate, and their environmental footprint is significant. Schools represent around 30% of public sector carbon emissions, and energy is widely recognised as the highest operating cost after staffing. As a sector, we spend approximately £1.8 billion per year on energy, creating significant pressure on revenue budgets. The strategy aligns educational infrastructure with wider net-zero ambitions, encouraging energy efficiency, low-carbon technologies, and long-term life-cycle planning. We support this ambition to the extent that we have a dedicated sustainability section within our professional standards.

For schools and trusts, this represents both a responsibility and an opportunity. Rising energy costs place pressure on revenue budgets, and well-planned sustainability improvements can reduce these pressures over time. Increasingly, capital funding bids are likely to be strengthened where they demonstrate environmental impact alongside educational need. The strategy also confirms that the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) model will be replaced from autumn 2028, moving away from full competitive bidding towards a more data-led allocation approach.

Another theme running throughout the strategy is the more efficient and strategic use of space. Demographic change, fluctuating pupil numbers, and evolving curriculum demands mean that not all school space is used optimally. The Government signals a stronger emphasis on pupil place planning, rationalisation of surplus space, and alignment between estate configuration and educational demand. For trusts, particularly those operating across multiple localities, this introduces both challenge and opportunity: estates may need to be reconfigured, consolidated, or expanded to reflect growth and inclusion priorities.

Underpinning all of this is a decisive move toward better data and long-term planning. National condition surveys and digital asset information will increasingly inform funding decisions. Schools and trusts will be expected to maintain accurate estate records and to use data to prioritise investment. The strategy clearly favours organisations that can demonstrate a coherent, multi-year estate vision aligned to educational strategy. Estate management is becoming a strategic discipline rather than a purely operational function.

For individual schools, the implications are tangible. While statutory compliance expectations remain the same, assurance, reporting and governance expectations are clearly increasing. Documentation will need to be robust, and risk management will require regular review. Capital funding will remain available, but it is likely to be increasingly competitive and strategically targeted. Schools without a clear estate narrative, linking condition, safety, curriculum delivery, and sustainability, may find themselves at a disadvantage.

For multi-academy trusts, the impact is more profound. The strategy implicitly strengthens the role of the trust as the responsible body for long-term infrastructure planning. Boards will need visibility of estate risk registers, capital pipelines, and sustainability strategies. Estate planning will need to align explicitly with school improvement priorities, growth ambitions, and SEND capacity planning. Larger trusts may continue to professionalise their estates functions, while smaller trusts may need to explore shared expertise or external support.

At a strategic level, the message is clear: estates are now central to educational leadership. Trusts that embed estate planning into their broader organisational strategy will be better placed to secure capital investment, manage risk, reduce revenue pressures, and create environments that attract and retain staff. Those that remain reactive may find compliance burdens rising without corresponding strategic benefit.

Whilst this strategy feels like a timely and appropriate response to our fragile school estate, building the capability of individuals and teams will be critical. In addition, integrating technology and leveraging off innovation will also be key.

ISBL will continue to support members as this strategy develops, including through guidance, professional standards and practical insight into the operational implications for school and trust leaders.

As a delivery partner to the sector, ISBL Approved Partner Barker also welcomes the direction of travel set out in the strategy, particularly the shift toward proactive lifecycle planning, renewal-first investment, and stronger data-driven decision making. However, the success of this approach will depend heavily on capacity, capability and the ability of Responsible Bodies to strengthen governance, data maturity and long-term estate planning.

Barker is working across the sector to support this transition through strategic estate planning, condition and compliance programmes, sustainability planning, digital estate readiness and capital investment prioritisation.

For those seeking an independent view of what has changed and what practical steps to take next, Barker has published a summary article on its website.

Barker is also hosting a webinar on 18 March at 11:00 am focused on what Responsible Bodies should be doing now, including the shift away from CIF, the emerging data standards and the Renewal & Retrofit Programme – register here.