Rotherham school buildings could need more than £20m of repairs and upgrades
Many parts of school buildings are approaching, or have already passed, the end of their expected working lives.
Ageing roofs, heating systems and other building repairs could leave Rotherham Council facing a school maintenance bill of more than £20m, a report warns.
Early estimates suggest the cost of work needed at council-maintained schools could far outstrip the government funding available.
A heating replacement scheme at Broom Valley Primary alone is listed at £1.2m, highlighting the cost of replacing ageing equipment.
The council is now surveying buildings across 17 education settings to establish what needs fixing and which jobs should come first.
The report says many parts of the buildings are approaching, or have already passed, the end of their expected working lives.
It warns that without planned investment, failures could lead to mounting repair bills and disruption to education.
However, the £20m-plus figure is an initial estimate which will be checked against the survey findings. It is neither an approved spending commitment nor a bill that must all be paid by 2030.
The council has around £1.68m available for its 2026/27 programme, including £728,079 in government funding and £951,534 carried forward from previous years.
Officers say the current programme allows the most pressing risks to be managed, but cannot cover all the emerging repair and replacement needs.
Schemes listed include £236,146 for heating upgrades and £108,806 for roofing at Badsley Moor Primary, alongside a £54,580 fire alarm upgrade at Rawmarsh Thorogate Primary. Approval to award contracts has been given for those works.
Other projects include £96,146 to tackle a leaking roof at Wales Primary’s nursery and £9,331 for a roof leak at Anston Park Juniors.
The £1.2m Broom Valley heating scheme is listed for 2027/28, along with £100,000 for boilers and heating equipment at Sitwell Infants.
Further proposed works include upgrading two toilet blocks at Blackburn Primary, roofing at Rawmarsh Rosehill Junior and replacing hot water cylinders at Rockingham Junior and Infants.
The maintenance review covers 13 council-maintained schools, three maintained nursery schools and a pupil referral unit. It does not cover every school in Rotherham.
Cabinet will consider the report on Monday, November 16. No additional funding is being requested at this stage.
A further report will set out the repair backlog, proposed priorities and funding options once the surveys have established the scale of the work.