Could the pursuit of a political agenda outweigh the safety of children in schools? This alarming question stemmed from an interview on Radio 4’s Today programme, where Jonathan Slater, the former permanent secretary of the Department for Education, revealed that the expansion of free schools took priority over rebuilding existing school infrastructure.
Free schools were initially introduced as part of David Cameron’s “big society” concept, allowing local communities, teachers, and academy trusts to open state-funded schools based on local demand. However, the interview highlighted the ongoing crisis of school buildings, with almost 150 schools in England either closed or partially closed due to concerns about the use of aging reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) in their construction.
According to Slater, the top priority during his tenure was opening new free schools, even at the expense of safety concerns. This sentiment was echoed by David Laws, the former schools minister, who criticized the disproportionate spending on free schools compared to other essential areas of the capital budget.
To verify these claims, I delved into government spending data, and the results were astonishing. The government only publicly disclosed the amount spent on opening free schools in relation to one-third of projects in England, which, in itself, is scandalous. However, the figures I obtained revealed a damning truth.
Between 2011 and 2018, the government spent £1.7 billion on site acquisition and construction for 221 free schools, averaging £959,000 per school per year. In comparison, an audit report by the National Audit Office (NAO) in June disclosed that annual spending on “major rebuilding and refurbishment” for the rest of England’s 21,600 state-funded schools amounted to just £26,070 per school per year.
The stark contrast in spending unveiled that significantly more funds were allocated to building new free schools than to maintaining and reconstructing existing classrooms, compromising the safety of children. It appears that a politically driven idea took precedence over a broader and less attention-grabbing objective: ensuring the well-being of students.
This issue also sheds light on the problems potentially caused by the Conservatives’ ideological approach to education. Traditionally, local authorities oversaw state-funded schools in England, but in recent years, the government championed a system where quasi-private academy trusts governed all schools, reporting solely to the central government. Currently, approximately half of England’s schools, including free schools, are under the supervision of 2,400 academy trusts, while the remainder is managed by local authorities.
The NAO, in its report, cautioned against the dilution of estates expertise as more schools transition to academies, leaving local authorities with limited oversight. It also highlighted that smaller trusts lacked the necessary expertise and resources to seek maintenance funding, while school estate managers struggled to engage academy trust CEOs in strategic estate management.
In essence, the political drive to fragment the school system may have compromised strategic supervision of school buildings as local authorities are marginalized, and smaller entities struggle to meet administrative demands.
While politicians have the right to set priorities within the education system, it is imperative to hold them accountable when their initiatives disregard the broader public interest. This situation serves as a clear example of that. Austerity measures and reduced Conservative spending have undoubtedly played a role in the current crisis. However, it is essential to question the decisions and actions that fail to prioritize the safety and welfare of students.
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