The short answer
The School Rebuilding Programme is a Department for Education programme, begun in 2021, that rebuilds or refurbishes school buildings in the worst condition. There are currently 524 projects in it. Schools are prioritised on condition data and construction type, not by bidding, and nominations for the next round are closed. Schools in the programme often need temporary or modular classrooms to keep teaching while work goes on.
If your school has been named in the School Rebuilding Programme, or you are wondering whether it could be, this guide sets out what the DfE has published and the practical side that schools in the programme deal with: where pupils are taught while the work goes on.
What the programme is
The School Rebuilding Programme (SRP) began in 2021. It rebuilds or refurbishes school and sixth form college buildings in poor condition, with the work delivered centrally by the DfE rather than by the school. The GOV.UK page, last updated on 11 June 2026, lists 524 projects in the programme.
It is separate from the Condition Improvement Fund. CIF is a yearly bidding round for eligible schools to fix specific problems; SRP replaces whole buildings that are past saving, and schools do not bid for it.
How schools are chosen
The DfE prioritises buildings that:
- are of specific construction types that need replacing; and
- have the highest condition need, as shown by the DfE’s condition data collection surveys.
Nominations for the next round are closed. If your school was not selected and has buildings in poor condition, condition funding through CIF (for eligible schools) or your trust or council’s condition allocation is the route in the meantime.
While you wait: interim works
Being in the programme does not stop a building failing before the rebuild starts. The CIF guidance for 2027 to 2028 deals with this: for schools selected for SRP, the DfE may expect a temporary or reduced solution where it “would safely keep the school operational until SRP delivery”, rather than a full permanent fix to a building that will be replaced.
That often means modular or temporary accommodation. A classroom block that has to close for safety reasons can be replaced for the interim by hired units on another part of the site.
Decant space during the rebuild
Rebuilds on a live school site usually need decant space: rooms where classes are taught while their block is demolished and rebuilt. Who provides and pays for it depends on how the project is set up, so ask the DfE project team early. The questions to settle are:
- How many classrooms, toilets and offices are needed, and for how long?
- Where on the site can they go without blocking the construction area or fire routes?
- Who orders them, who holds the hire contract, and who maintains them?
- What planning permission is needed? The temporary building right in Part 4 of the permitted development order covers buildings needed while construction work goes on, and requires them to be removed when it ends.
What decant classrooms cost
Hire is the usual route for a decant. A single classroom starts at about £275 a week on a published rate, and public contracts show what whole packages cost: one council paid £347,128 for three hired classrooms and a toilet block for about 13 months, including groundworks and installation. See our classroom hire page for the sums.
Where modular fits in the rebuild itself
Many rebuilds use factory-built methods for the permanent building as well as the temporary one. That is decided by the DfE and its contractors, not by the school, but it can shorten the time pupils spend in decant rooms.
What to do now
- If you are in the programme: ask the project team what decant space is planned, and whether the school will need anything before work starts.
- If you are not: document the condition of your worst buildings, and look at whether a modular replacement or a temporary classroom is the right interim step.
We are not connected to the DfE or the programme. Always check the current GOV.UK page for the latest position.