More than 14,500 extra classrooms will required in UK secondary schools by 2020, new research has revealed.
The findings from public sector procurement specialist Scape Group showed that an additional 435,646 pupils will be joining the UK’s secondary school system.
Scape’s report, The Secondary School Places Challenge, looked at the challenge facing the education system using Department of Education and devolved authority data. It shows the equivalent of 14,522 secondary school classrooms would need to be built over the next three years to ensure we have enough school places.
The report revealed 527 extra classrooms will be required in Scotland, 13,337 in England, 340 in Wales and 318 in Northern Ireland, to meet the projected growth in secondary school pupils.
Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive said, “Secondary school pupil numbers are set to rise significantly and there is a real risk that if we do not increase the output of new secondary school classrooms there will be significant pressure on places across the UK.
“Such is the scale of the projected increase in secondary school pupils that the Government should now seek to develop a National School Building Strategy that brings together the Department of Education, local and regional government, and industry. We must ensure there is a joined-up approach that embraces modern methods of construction such as modular and offsite techniques, which can deliver schools quickly and cost-effectively.”
