Council to spend £422,000 on new roofs at Kings Heath secondary school

Birmingham City Council is to spend £422,668 replacing and repairing roofs at a Kings Heath secondary school, saying they present an "increasing risk of failure".

The school raised concerns about the flat roofs on its annexe and technology blocks. An inspection found the annexe roof was in "poor condition", with the roofing membrane at the end of its life.

What inspectors found

A council report said there was evidence of "stretch-cracking, joint failure and blistering". The roof lights were in poor condition, and there were signs of water leaks. The technology block also needs repairs around its window detailing.

"The council has a statutory duty to ensure that school buildings are maintained in a safe, compliant and fit-for-purpose condition," the report said. "The works will ensure the school remains weathertight for the long term."

Why not just patch it?

The council considered doing nothing, but rejected it because of the health and safety risks, which "could cause the school to close and incur more costs than the value of this project due to the risk of damage by water".

Patch repairs were also rejected. "They would not address the underlying system failures and would expose the council to ongoing operational, financial and statutory risk," the report said. "Isolated patch repairs would offer only temporary mitigation and are likely to fail due to the extent of the underlying deterioration."

When the work will happen

Work is due to start on 19 October and finish by March 2027. It will be paid for from the Government's school condition allocation grant, with no money taken from the council's general budget. Councils and schools usually plan this kind of work to keep disruption to lessons to a minimum, with noisier jobs scheduled for holidays and weekends where possible.

A national problem

Many school buildings in England were built in the decades after the Second World War and are now reaching the end of their design lives. Flat roofs, common in schools of that era, are particularly prone to leaks as their membranes age. The Department for Education's own surveys have found that a large share of school buildings need repairs, and the problems came to national attention in 2023, when some schools had to close areas built with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, known as RAAC.

How schools are funded for repairs

Councils receive a school condition allocation from the Government each year to maintain the schools they are responsible for. Academies are funded separately, either through their trust or by bidding for money directly. For Birmingham, which is responsible for a large number of maintained schools, the grant has to stretch across many buildings, which is why repairs are prioritised according to risk.

Leaking roofs can damage classrooms and equipment, close rooms and, in the worst cases, force schools to shut, which is why the council says replacing the roofs now is better value than waiting.