Over 2,000 new schools must be built before 2020 to meet the growing numbers of primary and secondary school pupils in the UK.
The School Places Challenge report from public sector-owned built environment specialist Scape Group, estimates 24,287 new classrooms must be built in the next four years to meet the building challenge in England.
The projections are based on Department for Education figures showing pupil numbers are set to increase by 8.6% in primary schools and 12% in secondaries by 2020.
The report states that this means that local authorities will have to find space for 12,209 additional primary classrooms, equating to 1,744 single-form entry primary schools with 30 pupils per class.
A further 12,078 secondary classrooms, or 378 new secondary schools, will be needed to match the rising numbers. In total, this means 24,287 classrooms and 2,122 schools are required, it says.
Mark Robinson, chief executive of Scape Group, said: “The country will soon start to feel the full weight of the impending boom in pupil numbers, and we’re already seeing unprecedented pressure on school places. A radical new wave of school-building must be a top priority for government.”
He added: “The government’s preference for free schools has created uncertainty for local authorities, who are tasked with planning and building new schools, but will not be responsible for running them. Proposals for new grammar schools has further muddied the waters.
“In a post-Brexit economy, with all of the uncertainty this brings, the construction of new schools must be a top priority for government and local authorities must be given the tools and funding necessary to deliver extra places in time. “Creative solutions including standardised design, classroom extensions and larger ‘super-schools’, as well as more effective use of land to deliver mixed-use developments, are all options we need to look at to deliver more new schools.”
Total number of schools needed by 2020
Source: Scape Group
While London, the south east and east of England will see the biggest growth, the north east and north west will see more modest increases. By 2020 London will require 507 new schools by 2020, the south east will need 347 and the East 267.
Outside of London, Manchester will have 19,000 extra pupils to accommodate by 2020, a 27% increase, meaning an additional 57 institutions are needed. Milton Keynes will have nearly 8,000 extra pupils, a 19% increase, and will need 27 new schools, and Bristol will have just under 9,000 extra pupils, a 17% increase, and will need 26 new schools.
The districts of Reading, Slough and Bracknell in London’s commuter belt will also see significant growth as the capital’s growing population spills out across the M25, with pupil numbers rising by 25%, 20% and 18% respectively.
Andrew Alsbury, Willmott Dixon education director, said: “The continued and urgent need for a well-planned long-term solution to meet rising school place demand in the face of increasing pressure on capital budgets is one of our biggest challenges over the next decade. It needs a joined-up approach between the public and private sectors, as well as local and central government to bridge the gap.”
