Morning, Thursday, 1st October 2026
Online
This conference will focus on school and college buildings in England. Areas for discussion include long-term renewal and capital investment, estate management and data collection, as well as next steps for decarbonisation and climate resilience, and ensuring that buildings support accessibility, inclusion and changing learner needs.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess the Department for Education’s Education Estates Strategy: a decade of national renewal - published in February. We expect discussion on the practical questions raised by its proposals to move away from short-term repairs towards more strategic approaches to maintenance, estate planning and longer-term renewal, while continuing to respond to immediate condition pressures.
The agenda will also consider the Government’s capital investment programme to 2029-30, including recent announcements on investment in school and college estates, and implications for the pace, sequencing and organisation of renewal.
Further discussion will examine delivery of the School Rebuilding Programme, wider college capital programmes and the commitment to remove RAAC from affected settings by 2029, including questions around prioritisation, capacity, coordination and the relationship between national frameworks, local circumstances and identified need.
Estates Strategy implementation & practical delivery
The agenda will consider practical arrangements and frameworks for supporting a more strategic approach to maintaining and renewing school and college estates over the coming decade. Discussion will examine approaches to aligning condition information, capital investment and longer-term asset planning, while retaining scope for responsible bodies to address immediate maintenance needs.
Attendees will consider priorities for strengthening data collection and use, clearer standards and accountability across responsible bodies, and implications for planning and investment decisions. Further discussion is expected on priorities for targeting funding in the light of local circumstances and national priorities, including issues for schools, colleges, local authorities and delivery partners around capability, coordination, delivery capacity and value for money.
Renewal, modernisation & RAAC removal
Sessions will examine progress with the School Rebuilding Programme and wider college capital programmes, alongside the Government’s commitment to remove RAAC from all affected school and college settings by 2029. Discussion will consider delivery at scale, lessons from implementation so far, and priorities for accelerating projects through national frameworks while maintaining flexibility and value for money across differing circumstances.
The agenda will also consider priorities for refurbishment, retrofit and modernisation alongside rebuilding, including the identification of buildings where investment can extend their useful lifespan. Further discussion is expected on the effects of capital constraints on programme choices, and on planning, procurement, construction sector capacity and workforce availability for major programmes, including practicalities of minimising disruption to learners.
Data, standards & governance
Further discussion will examine how governance arrangements, national standards and digital systems can support more consistent long-term management of school and college estates. This includes implementation of the School Estate Management Standards, consideration of their future use in further education colleges, and implications for accountability, capability and decision-making across responsible bodies.
The agenda will also consider the development of the Manage Your Education Estate platform and the move towards common condition data standards, including priorities for improving data quality and interoperability with local planning and asset management systems. Attendees will consider how more consistent and usable information could better inform capital planning and investment decisions, alongside questions around transparency, consistency and practical requirements for schools, colleges and local authorities.
Net zero, sustainability & resilience
Implications of net zero and wider environmental objectives will be considered, looking at investment, design, refurbishment and maintenance across school and college estates, including questions around affordability, delivery timescales and other estate priorities.
Discussion will examine approaches to energy efficiency, decarbonisation and climate resilience, including measures to address flooding, overheating and other effects of extreme weather. Further consideration will be given to the place of outdoor learning environments and green space within estate planning and development.
Inclusion & community use
Further sessions will consider implications of the rising demand for SEND provision for capital planning, estate design and pupil outcomes, including approaches to improving accessibility and inclusion across school and college buildings. Discussion will examine how mainstream settings can be adapted to meet a wider range of needs, alongside lessons from the development of specialist facilities and inclusion bases.
The agenda will also assess place-based approaches to estate planning, opportunities to extend community use of school and college facilities, and the contribution that flexible, multi-purpose buildings might make to wider local provision. Attendees will assess practical issues for schools, colleges and local partners, including the relationship between educational use, operational requirements, security, funding and longer-term estate planning.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Education; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; and Health and Safety Executive.
