More than half of dilapidated English schools were refused rebuilding money
The Guardian More than half of English schools that are so dilapidated they are at risk of partial closure were refused money under the governments school rebuilding scheme, Department for Education (DfE) statistics show.
It has also emerged that under the programme, intended to rebuild 500 schools in England over a 10-year period from 2020, just four were completed in 2021.
The schools rebuilding programme is separate to the current turmoil over schools forced to close classrooms or buildings because of increased concerns about crumbling reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), although some of the work will be to replace Raac-constructed blocks.
Under the most recent full data published by the DfE, of 1,105 schools that applied to be rebuilt, 300 had been selected and 797 refused, with eight dropping out.
Of those turned down, 356 applied under a DfE-set metric called exceptional case, which means the school leaders believe the condition of their blocks is so severe as to risk imminent closure, or a block is already closed.
