A recent report has revealed that 700,000 pupils learn in buildings that need rebuilding or refurbishing, as North East schools struggle to secure funding to fix critical maintenance issues.

The report, published by the National Audit Office (NAO), suggests that schools in the North East require more funding per pupil to restore buildings to a “good” condition than in the South of England.

This means that schools in places including County Durham and Sunderland could need anything from £1,000 to £1,999 per pupil to repair existing building issues compared to only £500 in some places in the South East.

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Worrying risk register data also states that “insufficient capital funding” could lead to a building collapse that would cause “death or injury” as Treasury funding dwindles to £3.1 billion per year to not only fix the poorest buildings but also maintain the rest.

Director of Schools North East, Chris Zarraga, has urged the government to take their pledges of levelling up seriously as North East schools face a “crisis”.

He said: “Schools in our region have been hit the hardest by the pandemic and its aftermath. Additionally, schools are facing a crisis in recruitment and retention, combined with significant rising pressure on budgets.

“If the government is serious about ‘levelling-up’, then it is vital that the basic needs of schools, such as the condition of buildings and estates, are met.

“It is concerning that the school estate is currently in such poor condition and that North East schools are finding it so difficult to access the funding needed to ensure their buildings are safe for students.”

Looking at the funding that is needed, the North East is second only to the East and West Midlands, where some schools need over £2,000 per pupil to fix conditions.

In comparison to the rest of the UK, schools in the likes of Devon and Cornwall require anything from £500 to £999 per pupil for the same maintenance.

A similar report published by the Department for Education revealed the number of schools that filed successful bids to the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) for 2023-2024.

Out of the 56 applications from the North East, 26.8% of those received funding compared to the national average of 41.4%.

Without this funding, Schools North East claims school sites will “further deteriorate” which will lead to an increase in competition for bids year after year.

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The organisation said: “Schools often have to pay consultancy firms to write bids, in order to have a greater chance of success, and spend large sums of money on estate reports to support their bids.

“These criteria penalise smaller schools, schools or Trusts with tight or deficit budgets, and those with older buildings that require more spend on repairs and maintenance.”

Regarding improvements, A DfE official said the government was investing in 500 projects for new and refurbished school buildings, through its school-rebuilding programme.

The DfE says it has been "significantly investing in transforming schools".

A spokesperson for the Department for Education additionally added: “Nothing is more important than the safety of pupils and teachers which is why we have been significantly investing in transforming schools up and down the country.

“We are investing in 500 projects for new and refurbished school buildings through our School Rebuilding Programme, with 39 schools in the North East already selected to benefit from major refurbishment or rebuilding.

“On top of this, we have allocated over £15 billion since 2015 for keeping schools safe and operational, including £1.8 billion committed for 2023-24, for example helping North East schools carry out nearly 450 Condition Improvement Fund projects in the region.”

The Northern Echo has contacted Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson for comment.