What the NEW Education Estates Strategy means for our members

For everyone working in education, from the early years to post-16 colleges, the nurseries, schools and colleges we work in are more than just bricks and mortar – they are the frontline of opportunity. However, for too long, many of our members working across the education and early years sector have had to contend with aging infrastructure, “make-do” maintenance, and facilities that don’t always meet the needs of modern learning.

Today, the government published the Education Estates Strategy, a massive 10-year plan aimed at “national renewal.”

With a staggering £38 billion in funding allocated between 2025 and 2030, this strategy marks a monumental shift toward proactive management and long-term investment in our education sector.

Community National Officer for Health and Safety, Paul McKenna said:

We welcome the Education Estates Strategy as this will ensure that schools are safe and the establishments will ensure well maintained buildings for pupils and staff well into the future. We must look at supporting this program and ensure spending on procurement is done efficiently to negate any waste of precious funds.

What does the Education Estates Strategy mean for Community members?

The Education Estates Strategy is built on three core areas, designed to ensure that schools and colleges are safe, sustainable and sufficiently sized.

Smarter tools for smarter schools

The government is moving away from reactive “firefighting” repairs toward proactive management. This includes:

• Digital transformation: A new service, Manage Your Education Estate, launches in late February 2026 to help schools track data and maintenance needs.
• Surplus space: By autumn 2026, a new framework will be introduced to help schools use surplus land or rooms for wider community services — a much needed step for schools seeing demographic shifts.

Improving around Net Zero and SEND

This is where the bulk of the day-to-day impact will be felt by our members. The goal is to make buildings resilient for decades to come.

• The renewal and retrofit programme: Backed by £700 million of funding, this will start as a pilot in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the South East in April 2026. It focuses on making buildings “Net Zero ready” and protecting them from flooding.
• SEND inclusion: A major investment of £3.7 billion will create 60,000 specialist places. Notably, the government is introducing the term “Inclusion bases” to replace the confusing mix of SEN units and resourced provisions, making it easier for staff and parents to navigate special education needs support.
• Connectivity: £325 million is earmarked to ensure even the most “hard to reach” schools get gigabit-capable broadband by 2030.

Tackling the worst first with rebuilding

For sites where “patching up” is no longer an option, the School Rebuilding Programme is expanding:

• 250 NEW projects: An additional 250 schools and colleges will be selected by Spring 2027, joining the 500 already in the pipeline.
• Nursery expansion: £400 million will be dedicated toward creating thousands of school-based nursery places, ensuring early years provision is integrated into the heart of our schools.

Why is the Education Estates Strategy important?

A better estate isn’t just about the students; it’s about our members’ working environments.

Modern, well-ventilated and climate-resilient buildings reduce staff stress, as well as ensuring that learning isn’t interrupted by failing infrastructure.

In addition, the move toward inclusion bases and increased specialist SEND capacity is also a significant win for our members, especially those working in support roles as it will help them to deliver specialised care.

Community will be constantly monitoring the roll out of the Education Estates Strategy to ensure that the responsible bodies are held to a high standard, as well as ensuring that the voices of our members across the education sector are heard during these rebuilds and renovations.