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Education estates strategy: what you need to know

Find out what the government’s plans are for helping schools manage their estates more effectively and improve the condition of school buildings.

Last reviewed on 13 February 2026
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 53051
Contents
  1. What is it?
  2. Who is it for?
  3. What you'll be expected to do (if you're responsible for a school estate)
  4. What support will the DfE provide?
  5. How will this be funded?
  6. What’s happening, and when?

What is it?

The DfE's education estates strategy sets out the government's vision for how educational premises should be managed over the next 10 years.

It includes plans for:

  • Helping schools manage their estates more effectively
  • Repairing and improving existing school buildings
  • Rebuilding schools that are beyond repair
  • Building new schools

It also provides information on how these projects will be funded.

We've summarised the strategy below – it's not exhaustive, but we've focused on the points that will require direct action from the 'responsible bodies' that manage your school estate. 

Who is it for?

The estates strategy is for the ‘responsible bodies’ who oversee and/or manage the property and infrastructure of schools. Who this is depends on the type of school:

See Annex C (pages 43 to 44) of the estates strategy linked above for more detail on