Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools are fitted with HVAC units throughout the building.

Responsible bodies and school leaders have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of both staff and pupils, this includes ensuring that temperatures are reasonable and that spaces are sufficiently ventilated.

​​We are improving infrastructure and strengthening resilience across the education estate through our Education Estates Strategy, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-estates-strategy.

This includes a new £710 million renewal and retrofit programme to improve condition and climate resilience. We will invest almost £3 billion per year by 2034-35 in capital maintenance to improve the condition of the school and college estate; and invest  almost £20 billion through to 2034-35 in the School Rebuilding Programme, delivering climate‑resilient buildings at over 750 schools.

​We have recently updated our design standards, covering heating, cooling and ventilation systems, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-standards-employers-requirements as well as overheating risk assessments and external shading. Our improve and renew guidance also addresses overheating mitigation, ventilation and heating systems and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improve-and-renew-developing-your-long-term-estates-plan/improve-and-renew-your-long-term-estates-plan.