More than 2,000 new schools must be built by 2020

Aaron Morby 9 years ago
Share

The Government needs to fire-up a massive school building programme to deliver more than 2,000 schools in England by 2020 to meet booming pupil numbers.

Over 24,000 extra classrooms required in the next four years
Over 24,000 extra classrooms required in the next four years

The depth of the country’s school places crisis has been thrown into the spotlight in new research for public sector procurement specialist Scape Group.

Local authorities now predict the number of primary and secondary school pupils will swell by an extra 729,000 by 2020.

To meet this demand the Government needs a radical rethink of it school building programme. This would include setting new targets to build 1,744 primary schools and 378 secondary schools in the next four years.

This equates to two new schools every day to meet the shortfall. More than 500 of these would be needed in London alone to head off the looming schools crisis.

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.”

London, the South East and East of England are set to see the highest growth, while the North East and North West will see more modest increases.

 School Building Challenge: England’s Regions

Regions Extra pupils by 2020 Primary schools  Secondary schools Total needed
London 170,943 421 86 507
East of England 89,198 222 45 267
South East 115,102 291 56 347
West Midlands 74,651 162 42 204
Yorkshire and the Humber 65,512 149 35 184
South West 59,854 150 29 179
East Midlands 52,644 124 28 152
North West 80,588 187 43 230
North East 21,124 38 14 52

The capital will see a 15% increase in primary and secondary school populations by 2020, meaning an additional 170,943 pupils and requiring 507 new schools. Of these, 421 would be the equivalent of 1FE primary schools and 86 would be secondary schools.

Outside of London, Manchester will see a 27% rise in pupil numbers, with almost 19,000 extra primary and secondary pupils by 2020. This will require the equivalent of 57 new schools – 48 primary schools and nine new secondary schools in just four years.

The cities of Bristol, Peterborough, Milton Keynes, Leicester and Nottingham will also see rapid growth requiring new school building. Peterborough’s 21% growth in pupils will require 20 brand new schools, while Milton Keynes’ 19% increase will require 27 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.  England’s fastest growing boroughs

Local authorities Extra  pupils by 2020 New primary schools New secondary schools Total schools needed
Manchester 18,842 48 9 57
Reading 4,717 13 2 15
Peterborough 6,944 16 4 20
Slough 5,178 11 3 14
Milton Keynes 7,903 24 3 27
Leicester 8,847 19 5 24
Bracknell Forest 3,021 6 2 8
Thurrock 4,354 11 2 13
Nottingham 6,614 17 3 20
Bristol 8,900 21 5 26

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.”

The full report, The School Places Challenge, can be downloaded from www.scapegroup.co.uk/research

 

Latest news

13-year-old becomes UK’s youngest qualified digger driver

Grandson of Gallagher Group chairman sets industry record
3 hours ago

Cubby reborn in £12m Svella-backed takeover

£50m revenue target set as 14 firms combine under new Cubby Group banner
18 hours ago

North East NHS trusts plot £3bn health estate overhaul

Market engagement begins for major construction push across four trusts
18 hours ago

HG goes green on cranes in £1.2m switch to battery power

Diesel-free crane drive cuts fuel bills by 94%
19 hours ago

Developer fined £165,000 for fire safety failings

Firm ignored fire safety orders on apartment job in Preston
19 hours ago

Bidding to start for £1.8bn North West framework

Contractors invited to bid for latest Procure Partnerships deal
19 hours ago

Hill hits record £90m profit as homes pipeline swells

Build-to-rent push and £4.8bn contracting book to fuel next growth phase
1 day ago

Rayner unveils £39bn plan to build 300,000 social homes

Council building revival and rent reform feature in social and affordable homes plan
2 days ago

Keltbray bounces back with £3.2m profit

Tighter controls and smarter project selection fuel strong turnaround
2 days ago

VINCI JV wins 500-home twin town centre revamps

Chester Northgate phase 2 and Northwich Weaver Square schemes move to delivery stage
2 days ago

80 energy projects unlocked as Ofgem backs grid expansion

£24bn energy networks deal gets green light from regulator
3 days ago

How to see your stories on the Enquirer

Join our Suppliers and Buyers directory to get your news published
2 days ago

Henley lands Midland Mill revamp on Leeds tower scheme

Restoration of 18th-century mill kicks off on South Bank regeneration project
2 days ago

New boss at Eric Wright Civil Engineering

Gavin Hulme takes top job as Diane Bourne moves to group role
2 days ago

Pinewood submits £1bn data centre plan

Studio giant adds green and learning spaces to tech hub blueprint
3 days ago

Record results after TClarke goes private

Britain's biggest M&E contractor flourishes after de-listing
3 days ago

Dalkia lands £200m nuclear maintenance deal

1,000 nuclear FM staff to join M&E contractor
3 days ago

Construction comeback to outpace wider economy

Arcadis forecast fueled by spending review optimism
4 days ago

First steel goes up on giant car battery site

Severfield gets to work on McAlpine Somerset site
4 days ago

Permasteelisa wins cladding deal on Bovis city tower

Facade specialist lands package at 60 Gracechurch Street
3 days ago

Fox buys recycled asphalt specialist Fisher

Acquisition adds major recycled asphalt capacity in north west
3 days ago

Major Building Safety Regulator shake-up to end tower delays

HSE stripped of control and top fire chiefs brought in to fast-track stalled schemes
4 days ago

Hinkley trio sign Sizewell civils deal

Balfour,Bouygues and Laing O'Rourke form Civil Works Alliance for new power station
4 days ago

£3.9bn data centre plan for Ravenscraig steelworks

Green energy to power massive new steel to silicon AI campus
4 days ago

Breakthrough on HS2’s second longest tunnel

8.4 mile Northolt to Old Oak Common drive completes
4 days ago

Neilcott on fast-track to debt-free employee ownership

£22.5m loan nearly paid down after big profit year
4 days ago

TfL kicks off race for £700m Tube station upgrade

South Kensington and Elephant & Castle top the pipeline list
4 days ago

Corbyn Plant Hire fleet goes under the hammer

Kit to be sold off by sister firm to collapsed groundworks contractor
4 days ago

Government wields procurement stick on late payment

New rules would block slow payers from bidding on big public jobs
7 days ago

Hercules buys power line labour firm for £15.7m

Labour supply specialist snaps up Advantage NRG to tap booming electricity upgrade market
7 days ago