It is not easy to obtain an overall picture of the state of school buildings and resources in England in relation to what is needed. Official reports naturally focus on the status quo rather than the optimal level of resources and how the current situation relates to that. However the Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools reports on the situation in relation to school accommodation and resourcing on the large sample of schools inspected during the year. This year's report on schools inspected during 2000 (http://www.official-documents.co.uk/document/ofsted/hc102/102.htm) says that, in primary schools:
“There is adequate accommodation in most shools having a full inspection although it is inadequate in more than one in ten. Most make efficient use of the space available. Many schools have new computer suites and some are models of good practice in how to use such facilities. However, the majority of schools have yet to get the maximum benefit from them. Learning Resources are adequate in more than nine in ten schools having a full inspection. The national strategies have provided the funding for many new books and more equipment for literacy and mathematics. National initiatives in information technology have also provided welcome additional resources.”Of the secondary schools inspected he said that:
“Learning resources are inadequate in about a quarter of the schools having a full inspection. Accommodation is also inadequate in over one-quarter of the schools.”
Two aspects of resourcing are highlighted - buildings and ICT provision.
Money to improve or replace school buildings comes from Central Government either in the form of grants or permission to borrow. The DfEE distributes resources to LEAs and voluntary aided schools, to ensure that there are sufficient school places and to improve school buildings. There were changes in the system of funding capital spending in April 2000. Much of the money now comes based on a formula, some of it related to pupil numbers. Local authorities are now required to draw up Asset Management Plans which set out priorities for local spending priorities. LEAs are required to draw these plans up in consultation with schools and dioceses. Money for capital spending will be related to the priorities in these plans. One change which is now a feature of all schools’ budgets is that all now have a capital grant direct to the school within the school’s budget. Until recently this had only been a feature of grant maintained (now foundation) schools budgets.
The recent Green Paper http://www.dfee.gov.uk/buildingonsuccess/capacity_to_deliver/index.shtml says that, in 2003-04, £500 million a year of capital funding to schools will be devolved to schools and that considerably more capital funding will have been devolved directly to schools over this period for them to use as they choose, than the total of capital investment in the system in 1996-97.
In a recent parliamentary answer (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200001/cmhansrd/vo010208/text/10208w18.htm#10208w18.html_sbhd2) ministers confirmed that investment in school buildings over the next three years will total £7.8 billion. This is in addition to over £2 billion being invested in school buildings this year. By 2003-04, this will rise to £3.2 billion a year. This contrasts with the £683 million spent in 1996-97.
A recent announcement (http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2001_0213) said that, following the Budget, this total is now £8.5 billion, made up of £2.2.billion in 2001-2, £2.8 billion in 2002-3 and £3.5 billion in 2003-04.
Money for spending on school buildings comes via several routes:
Annual Capital Guidelines are mainly used to provide new pupil places (Basic Need). LEAs make bids for this money each year. The money is allocated on the basis of number of pupils and the need to remove surplus places and represents permission to borrow money. At the same time as this announcement each year (http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2000_0596) DfES grants to voluntary aided schools for capital spending are announced. VA schools provide 15% of funding for capital projects.
The programme New Deal for Schools is funded by the proceeds of the Windfall Tax. In January 2001 this year the Government announced funding to LEAs and voluntary schools under this programme setting out the amount of grant which LEAs and schools can expect for the years up to 2003/4 (http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2001_0023).
The money is allocated under three headings: condition, modernisation and devolved capital funding. The NDS condition grant is allocated on the basis of 50% on pupil numbers and 50% on relative condition of school buildings according to the Asset Management Plans. These proportions will change to 40%/60% in future years. Funding under this programme is now being allocated. The modernisation funding is likely to have a similar basis of allocation but the funding will start in 2002/3. Under the devolved capital programme introduced in April 2000 schools get capital grant calculated by formula which involves a lump sum and then an amount per pupil. An announcement in September 2000(http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2000_0410) indicated that by 2003-4 this would mean £16,000 a year per primary school and £50,000 per secondary school.
In March this year (http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2001_0150) the DfEE annnounced funding of £450 million for PFI credits for the year 2001-2, £750 million for 2002-3 and £850 million for 2003-4. These credits provide financial support for LEAs to make payments over a number of years to private consortia who carry out capital projects in schools.
These include seed challenge funding, targeted capital fund and schools access initiative grant. In January plans were announced (http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2001_0023) that a total of £0.15 billion would be allocated for seed challenge funding over the next three years. This is allocated to LEAs as £50,000 per LEA and an amount per pupil. This fund is for schools which raise a significant amount locally for projects which can then be topped up by the fund. The targeted capital fund supports projects not funded from other sources which provide a combination of educational and financial gain. Bids from 61 LEAs were successful in a £106 million programme announced in April this year (http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2001_0213).
The Schools Access Initiative grant is aimed at improving facilities in mainstream schools for disabled pupils. In March this year (http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2001_0131) the DfEE announced that £220 million would be available for the next three years. This grant has been available since 1996, but has been increased substantially since then.
The latest information on the provision of ICT in schools can be found at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics/DB/SBU/b0197/.
This survey is a representative sample survey of schools across the country. It collects information on the provision of ICT, expenditure and sources of funding, the use of the Internet and teacher training and confidence in the use of ICT. The percentages are therefore based on a best estimate. In 2000 the average number of computers in primary schools was 17.8 with an average of 12.6 pupils per computer, in 1998 these figures were 13.3 and 17.6 respectively. In secondary schools in 2000 there were 112.6 computers per school and an average of 7.9 pupils per computer, this compares to 100.9 and 8.7 respectively in 1998. Schools spend far more on ICT for teaching and learning than for administration. In 1999-2000, primary schools spent 4.5 times as much and in secondary schools 5 times as much. Most of the money schools spend on ICT comes from their budgets but in primary schools 30% came from the National Grid for Learning Standards fund and in secondary schools 18%. The National Grid for Learning is aimed to develop digital learning resources on the Internet and provide access to these resources through schools, further and higher education, libraries, workplaces and homes. In primary schools 8% of the funding for ICT came from parents and in secondary schools 1%.
May 2001
Back top Top Back to Resources Data