Some of England's schools pose a 'risk to life' because of disrepair, leaked government emails show

Some of England's school buildings are in such state of disrepair that they pose a "risk to life", leaked internal government documents show.

A report by the Observer showed that emails from senior officials in the Department for Education (DfE) refer to the continuing risk of the deteriorating condition of school buildings, calling for further funding to increase the number of school rebuilding projects.

The email, reportedly part of a weekly update to Downing Street from the DfE on 30 March, is quoted as saying: "School buildings: the deteriorating condition of the school estate continues to be a risk, with condition funding flat for FY [financial year] 2022-23, some sites a risk-to-life, too many costly and energy-inefficient repairs rather than rebuilds, and rebuild demand x3 supply."

The same email apparently called for an extra £13bn to be assigned by the Treasury to spend on school repairs, saying: "DfE continues to engage HMT to expand the School Rebuilding Programme by a similar amount, as discussed in Spending Review negotiations. This includes increasing the number of School Rebuilding Programme projects a year from 50, to over 300."

According to the Observer, officials sent another email on 4 April, repeating the warning about some sites being a "risk to life".

The revelations bolster criticism from unions and the opposition over capital funding for education.

In a statement initially issued to the Observer, Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary at the National Education Union, said: "All children deserve to learn in high quality, safe and comfortable buildings.

"But in 2022-23, capital funding is £1.9bn less per year in real terms than it was in the last years of the Labour Government.

"If the Government had not cut Labour’s school rebuilding programme, £27bn more would have been spent on school and college buildings. So, whilst any money spent on school buildings is welcome, the scale needs to judged against what has been cut, which is 50 times larger.

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"The challenges that need to be addressed are huge. And whether the issue to be addressed is potentially dangerous roofing, retrofitting for energy efficiency and to help meet climate obligations, or basic repairs, the challenge is made all the greater by the presence of asbestos in so many school buildings.

"The government needs to show much more ambition and urgently address these issues in a strategic way."

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson accused the Conservatives of negligence and 'failing a generation of children', telling the Observer: "Labour would build a Britain where children come first, but the Tories are standing by as England’s schools are falling down."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "The safety of pupils and staff is paramount.

"We have one of the largest and most comprehensive estate condition data collection in Europe, and this allows us to assess and manage risk in our buildings.

"We prioritise buildings where there is a risk to health and safety and have invested £11.3 billion since 2015 to improve the condition of school buildings and facilities.

"In addition, our new School Rebuilding Programme will transform the learning environment at 500 schools over the next decade."