Flooded toilets at school blamed on funding gap

1 hour ago

Matthew LockwoodBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire

News image — Wood End Infant and Pre-school said it was facing maintenance costs that were not covered by its budget

SAM READ/BBC The exterior of Wood End Infant and Pre-School, a single-storey brick building on a bright, sunny day. In the foreground is a paved access road leading towards the school entrance. — Wood End Infant and Pre-school said it was facing maintenance costs that were not covered by its budget

A school said its "dream" was to provide working toilets for its pupils but it could not afford to replace its facilities.

Children have twice been sent home from Wood End Infant and Pre-school in Milton Keynes after the site's toilets flooded due to drainage issues.

The school said it could not afford to replace the toilets as it currently had about £123,000 less to spend compared with 2010/11.

The Department for Education said it was investing an extra £2.3bn in schools this year.

The school said about half of its pupils were sent home each time the toilets flooded during a six-month period. The most recent incident occurred during the summer term.

On both occasions, the school reopened the following day.

The school said it paid £2,500 for a company to implement a temporary solution, but added it needed new facilities and had not yet obtained a quote for the work.

Unions have warned that schools have lost billions of pounds in funding because budgets have failed to keep pace with inflation and rising energy, food and staffing costs.

SAM READ/BBC Claire Wilson stands in the outdoor play area at Wood End Infant and Pre-School in Milton Keynes. She is wearing and black and white stripy top. — Wilson said decisions have to be made regularly about where to prioritise money

Claire Wilson, the school's head teacher, said staff costs associated with providing special educational needs support for children had increased the pressure on the school's budget.

The caretaker left and was not replaced because it was a "luxury" the school could not afford, she added.

"We have someone come in for [about] five hours a week just to do the bare minimum and meet the legal requirements to keep the school running and safe," she added.

The school's outdoor area was described as being at the "end of its life" by Department for Education officials during a visit in 2022, but replacing the landscaping and surfacing would cost about £90,000.

SAM READ/BBC Khadija Khanbhai stands inside a school classroom. She is wearing black-framed glasses, with a red lanyard around the neck. — Khadija Khanbhai said the dream was to provide children with toilets that work

Khadija Khanbhai, the school's business manager, said the school received a capital budget of £4,000 a year to cover all maintenance costs.

She said the figure does not go very far, particularly when there was an "emergency", such as flooded toilets.

Wilson said the government should make education "more of a priority", so children can thrive later in life.

A Department for Education spokesperson added: "Despite deeply challenging choices about public spending, we have continued to prioritise education as part of our once-in-a-generation plan to improve the life chances of children in all corners of the country, so every child can achieve and thrive."

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