‘End heartbreak of books versus pipes’, government urged amid NAHT findings
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.
The shocking findings were highlighted in a survey by school leaders’ union NAHT ahead of its annual conference in Belfast.
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.
More than nine in ten (96%) said they did not receive sufficient capital funding to maintain their school’s buildings and estate.
Nearly three quarters (73%) of respondents with areas closed or unfit for purpose said toilet blocks were out of use (8%) or not fit for purpose (65%).
More than three-quarters (76%) said their schools had basic building infrastructure like windows, roofs and doors which was unfit for purpose, while 3% said some of these facilities were out of use.
Almost two-thirds (64%) said playgrounds were not fit for purpose (56%) or closed (8%), while the respective figures for individual classrooms were 52% and 7%.
Whole school blocks or mobile classroom blocks were described as being closed by 7% of leaders affected, while 26% said such blocks were unfit for purpose.
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 with areas out of use or not fit for purpose said specialist SEND facilities such as dedicated classrooms, sensory rooms and outdoor spaces were impacted - with 41% saying these facilities were unfit for purpose and 3% saying they were closed.
Darren Brown, head teacher at Longwell Green Primary School in Longwell Green near Bristol, said: “If budget were no impediment, the single greatest improvement would be to move from reactive ‘make do and mend’ maintenance to really positive, long-term planning.
“We would finally move past patching up crumbling infrastructure and instead provide the high-quality environments that children truly deserve; modern and inspiring. This would end the heartbreak of books vs pipes, for example, meaning funding is never moved from learning to fix a leaking roof or broken boiler.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “Some of the stories we have heard from school leaders about the state of their buildings, and their struggles to secure the funding needed to rectify things, really beggar belief.
“No child or teacher should be expected to operate in draughty, crumbling buildings – doing so can risk their leaning, health, and safety.
“Children deserve modern, fit-for-purpose schools with fantastic facilities, but where we still have ageing buildings which aren’t even warm or watertight, that sadly feels like a pipe dream for many leaders.”
NAHT members will debate a motion at their conference calling on the union’s national executive to lobby the government to fully-fund essential capital expenditure across all state schools in England. It calls for a level playing field so access to funding is prioritised based upon need and safety and no longer dependent on school type.
Mr Whiteman added: “We know the UK government inherited a school estate in a mess, and we recognise there is additional investment planned through the new 10-year estates strategy.
“But it is unclear whether this will be enough and the truth is some scools are in a desperate situation right now. This survey shows the sheer scale of the challenge ahead, especially with the prospect of events in the Middle East fuelling inflation.”
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.
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.”
ENDS
Quotes from school leaders
‘The building is inadequate and falling apart. An MDF sheet is holding up a wall in our only hall. Over half the school is in temporary classrooms - the rest is falling down and riddled with asbestos.’
‘Because levels of funding are so low, we are unable to fund the projects that really need doing such as replacement windows, never mind the work we want to do to maintain an attractive environment. Currently the wind and rain blow through the gaps in our windows - we cannot and never will be able to replace them with current capital funding.’
‘We have rooms that are closed to children, walls covered in mould, a leaking roof, sinking floorboards, unfit windows and a condemned playground.’
‘Fire doors are shocking and keep me awake at night. I would say around 80% are non-compliant and we have a very large site.’
‘I have been screaming about the poor state of my boilers, but nothing happened until they totally stopped working and I had to shut the school as it was too cold.’
‘The lights barely light in the hall, the four-part electrical rewiring and lighting capital programme from the local authority was halted because they already spent money on the first two phases. The playground is dangerous and we cannot resurface it. The minimal cost for that alone is estimated at £48,000 - we get around £5,000 per year for capital projects. Recently part of the ceiling became unstable and we had to get in a specialist company due to asbestos bring present.’
‘I have toilets that urgently need replacement, and I do not have the funds to do so. There is a collapsed drain and every time it rains the playground is flooded.’
‘The boiler regularly does not ignite on the timer system, but it’s okay because I arrive early to manually ignite it so school is warm for staff and pupils. The boiler is so old they don’t make the part anymore. The fire alarm registers random faults which can’t be identified and buzzes to let us know, we can switch it off 20 times per day. Last week they used blue tac to reduce the sound it was the best they could do. No need to plan drills, the system does it for us now. But at least that’s being replaced over the next four months….Today we discovered a leak in the roof.’
‘Clear deterioration in the condition of crucial aspects such as classrooms, heating, windows and doors. We’ve experienced leaks and heating failure. General maintenance of classrooms to prevent damp has had to be curtailed. The heating no longer works but our Condition Improvement Fund bid for that was refused.’
Notes to Editor
- The survey was completed by 326 NAHT members in England between 2 February and 16 February 2026.
- Leaders were also asked whether over the last three years they had received sufficient capital funding to develop their school's buildings and estate to meet the needs of all their pupils. 99% of respondents in England said they had not.
- In addition, leaders were asked whether their school received the capital funding needed to undertake work on improving its energy efficiency and sustainability. 84% said funding hadn’t been sufficient.
- The full motion going to NAHT’s annual conference on Saturday 2 May reads: Conference recognises there are some fundamental issues around the mechanisms for capital funding, including calculations, allocations and contributions from schools. Conference believes that the current arrangements are inequitable and places some schools at a disadvantage, depending on their governance structure, when it comes to essential repairs, maintenance and improvements to school buildings. All state-funded schools should have equal access to capital funding to ensure safe, high-quality learning environments for all pupils. Conference calls on the National Executive to lobby the government: • for a level playing field in capital funding across all state-funded schools, ensuring no school is disadvantaged because of its governance structure, • for a transparent and fair capital funding system that prioritises need and safety above school category, and • to approve and fully fund essential capital expenditure regardless of school type so school buildings are fit for purpose and are not left to absorb additional costs from their own budgets. Proposer: David Huntingford; Seconder: Scott Halliwell (both Barking and Dagenham branch)
Capital Funding Survey – England. Source: school leaders' union NAHT
02/02/26 – 16/02/26
Reflecting on the last three years, has your capital funding been sufficient to maintain your school's buildings and estate?
|
Answer Choices
|
%
|
#
|
|
Yes
|
4%
|
13
|
|
No
|
96%
|
304
|
Reflecting on the last three years, has your capital funding been sufficient to develop your school's buildings and estate to meet the needs of all your pupils?
|
Answer Choices
|
%
|
#
|
|
Yes
|
1%
|
3
|
|
No
|
99%
|
315
|
Does your school have any buildings or areas that are currently in use but not fit for purpose, or that can no longer be used?
|
Answer Choices
|
%
|
#
|
|
Yes
|
51%
|
159
|
|
No
|
49%
|
154
|
[Respondents who stated having buildings or areas that are currently in use but not fit for purpose, or that can no longer be used]
For each building or area listed below, please indicate its current condition (Please select all that apply. You may choose more than one option for the same type of building or area)
|
Answer Choice
|
Closed for use
|
In use but not fit for purpose
|
Total – affected areas
|
|
Basic building infrastructure (e.g. windows, roof, doors)
|
3%
|
76%
|
78%
|
|
Toilet blocks
|
8%
|
65%
|
73%
|
|
Playgrounds
|
8%
|
56%
|
64%
|
|
Individual classrooms
|
7%
|
52%
|
59%
|
|
Recreational buildings (e.g. sports hall, dance studios)
|
3%
|
41%
|
45%
|
|
Specialist facilities for SEND (e.g. dedicated classrooms, sensory rooms, outdoor spaces)
|
3%
|
41%
|
45%
|
|
Utility/boiler/caretaker rooms
|
5%
|
38%
|
42%
|
|
Whole school blocks or mobile classroom blocks
|
7%
|
26%
|
33%
|
|
Playing fields or specialist sports areas (e.g. tennis courts, football pitches)
|
4%
|
26%
|
30%
|
|
Kitchens
|
2%
|
26%
|
28%
|
|
Specialist classrooms or areas e.g. labs, workshops, music halls)
|
3%
|
22%
|
25%
|