Agenda item

Mr B Collins (Deputy Leader of the Council), Rebecca Spore (Director of Infrastructure), Joanne Taylor (Head of Capital) and Stuart Pryor (Programme Manager) were in attendance for the item:

1. Introduced the report and provided an update on the condition of the maintained school estate.

a)    Members were advised that condition surveys commissioned from 2021 onwards had informed a long-term programme of maintenance investment and asset management and that updated calculations indicated a substantial continuing maintenance liability across the estate. Current backlog maintenance conditions sat at £330 million forecast over the next 10 years.

b)    The Committee was informed that the condition survey programme was currently being updated through the procurement of new surveys based on the most recent information available. he officer explained that changes had occurred since the original survey programme was undertaken, requiring the scope of the surveys to be reviewed and that there had been a reduction in the number of maintained schools included in the programme as a result of academy conversions.

c)    Changes to the treatment of voluntary aided schools within the survey programme had also affected the number of schools that would be subject to updated surveys and that the revised surveys would provide an updated assessment of the condition of the maintained school estate and reflect the current composition of schools for which the authority retained responsibility.

d)    Officers outlined the Council’s continued focus on maintaining buildings to a warm, safe and dry standard. Members were informed that significant investment had been delivered through major maintenance programmes, emergency works, modernisation funding and the ongoing replacement and refurbishment of mobile classrooms. The report also summarised interventions undertaken to address structural risks associated with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and folded plate timber roofs to ensure School had continued to provide education service to the children of Kent.

e)    Members were advised that, since the previous condition surveys had been undertaken, the number of maintained schools within the estate had reduced due to academy conversions. Officers highlighted the range of mechanisms used by the authority to monitor and manage building condition, including premises development officer visits, compliance activity, helpdesk reporting and direct engagement with schools.

f)      Highlighted the ten schools nominated by the County Council for consideration under the Department for Education’s latest School Rebuilding Programme, including Dover Grammar School for Girls. Members noted that no funding decisions had yet been made and that the nominations would be assessed by the Department for Education (DfE). The officer also informed the Committee that a new programme of condition surveys was due to commence in 2026 to refresh and update the asset condition data held by the authority, supporting future planning and investment across the school estate.

1.    In response to comments and questions

a)    Clarification was requested on the (Paragraph 2.1) if the backlog in the 2026 figure encompasses 244 or 351 schools. Officers confirmed the figure was for the 2024. Officers would look to clarify a figure on the total backlog of repairs.

b)    In response to questions regarding changes in reported maintenance liabilities, officers advised that the figures had been updated to reflect inflation and revised costs whilst maintaining consistency with earlier reporting. Members were informed that the figures related only to schools that remained within the maintained estate

c)    Clarification was sought regarding the schools nominated for inclusion within the DfE rebuilding programme. Officers explained that nominations had been submitted in accordance with Department for Education criteria relating to significant structural or condition issues. It was agreed that further detail concerning the categories under which schools had been nominated would be circulated to Members.

d)    Members queried mobile classrooms, officers advised that replacement and refurbishment priorities had been established following detailed condition surveys and risk assessments. Those units identified as presenting the greatest risk had been prioritised first within the programme. Additional information on the remaining programme would be provided outside the meeting

e)    The committee questioned the rationale for recommissioning condition surveys. Officers advised that condition data represented a snapshot in time and required periodic updating in order to provide an accurate basis for future investment decisions. The next phase of surveys would commence during 2026 and would be delivered over a five-year period.

f)      In response to discussion regarding overheating within school buildings, officers advised that climate resilience and environmental performance were becoming increasingly important considerations within capital investment programmes. Members were informed that heating replacement programmes increasingly considered opportunities to improve cooling and ventilation infrastructure and that wider environmental measures such as tree planting and shading were also being promoted

g)    Officers explained that prioritisation decisions were informed not only by condition surveys but also by compliance inspections, health and safety considerations, operational risks and direct engagement with schools. It wasemphasised that maintaining safe and functional learning environments remained the primary objective of the programme.

h)    Members were advised that the Council continued to work closely with schools through its premises development teams and maintained arrangements enabling schools to report urgent property issues at any time

i)      Members welcomed the update and recognised both the significance of the maintenance challenge and the importance of continuing investment across the maintained school estate.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.