Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to manage the risk associated with high temperatures in respect of the physical fabric of the school estate in England.

On 14 July 2022, the department published advice for schools and other education settings on what to do during a heatwave. Schools are also able to access advice from the Department for Health and Social Care guidance for schools, and the Health and Safety Executive guidance for employers on how to manage high temperatures.

Schools should continue to carry out their own risk assessments to ensure they create safe and healthy environments for pupils and staff.

In November 2021, the department published the revised output specification, setting out the requirements for all new school and college estates to be net zero carbon and climate resilient to a 2^oC and 4^oC global warming scenario.

The department allocates capital funding each year to schools and those responsible for school buildings to improve and maintain the condition of the school estate. Condition funding can be used to invest in improving the indoor environment and other sustainability measures. We have committed £13.1 billion to improve the condition of schools since 2015, including £1.8 billion allocated for the current financial year.