Commenting on today’s announcement by the Department for Education that it has selected 50 schools for a rebuilding plan, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union, NAHT said: 

“Given what we know about the importance of good ventilation and hygiene in reducing the spread of Covid-19, what we need right now is an emergency review of the whole school estate. There is so much more the government could and should be doing to improve Covid safety measures across all schools. We owe it to all pupils and staff to be working and learning in schools that are as safe and well-maintained as possible. 

“After more than a decade of under-investment in the fabric of our schools, we urge the government to properly invest in improving the dilapidated school estate, looking carefully at making high-quality ventilation a high priority. 

“Building and upgrading 50 schools is obviously good news for those affected, but represents a very small fraction of the total school estate, which numbers over 22,000 schools in England alone.”