Multi-academy trust leaders are concerned about the growing number of ageing school buildings and delays to the government’s rebuilding programme, warning that funding shortfalls are forcing them to stretch resources to keep pupils safe.

The Queen Street Group (QSG) - a network of academy trusts - says in its annual report that capital maintenance remains a key issue, with the “accelerating rate of decay” in the school estate outpacing available funding.

The report, published today, adds that the lack of a clear national strategy to refresh school buildings is “placing great pressure on trusts to make limited funding stretch further”, with many school assets now “beyond life”.

Trust leaders also highlighted the impact of delayed rebuilding projects, which they say are compounding maintenance problems and making it harder to plan investment effectively.

The concerns come after the Department for Education introduced new standards for school estate management.

Lack of funding for school buildings

Trusts also want to make progress towards net-zero emissions but say this ambition is being hindered by a lack of significant funding. This is despite a strong push for investment in building fabric and retrofit solutions.

The report also notes that safeguarding and security challenges have driven new spending, with many trusts “invest[ing] in new equipment and security measures” following “tragic events”. This likely alludes to the Southport attack in July last year.

Future building design will need to reflect new standards and regulations, the report adds.

As well as dealing with pressures relating to the school estate, QSG members have also been focused on strategies to improve pupil attendance through investment in school infrastructure, staff wellbeing and family liaison roles.

They are also looking at creating engaging environments to encourage pupils back into classrooms.

Despite this work, the report warns that trusts are worried that ongoing attendance issues could have a long-term impact on finances.

“From a financial perspective...here is a vicious circle where low attendance leads to poor outcomes, declining reputation and reduced funding, which further exacerbates attendance issues and financial challenges.”

The QSG report also reveals that the group now has 50 members, covering 1,040 schools responsible for educating almost half a million pupils - something that Steve Taylor, chair of QSG and CEO of Cabot Learning Federation, said underlined the impact of the group’s reach.

”[Our members’ work] is starting to show up in the everyday operations of over 1,000 schools,” he said.

“As we enter our second decade, QSG is large enough to maintain relevance and influence, and intimate enough to encourage high transparency, low ego and candid, respectful debate.”

New members include The Eden Academy Trust, London South East Academies Trust, Windsor Academy Trust, Prestolee Multi Academy Trust, The Sea View Trust and Avanti Schools Trust.

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