Over 14,500 additional secondary classrooms will be needed throughout the UK to meet the projected growth in secondary school pupils over the next three years, according to research by procurement specialist Scape.

'The Secondary School Places Challenge' report indicates that an extra 435,646 pupils will be joining the UK's secondary school system in the next three years.

Using information from the Department of Education, The Scottish Government, The Welsh Government and Northern Ireland's Department of Education, the firm analysed secondary pupil projection numbers to identify how many more secondary schools and classrooms could be required across the UK to ensure we have enough school places available for our growing population of pupils.

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The research revealed that although the greatest school building requirement will be in England (13,337 classrooms), 527 classrooms would also be required in Scotland, 340 in Wales and 318 in Northern Ireland, to meet the projected growth in secondary school pupils.

Mark Robinson, Scape Group Chief Executive, said: "Secondary school pupil numbers are set to rise significantly and there is a real risk that if we do not increase the output of new secondary school classrooms there will be significant pressure on places across the UK. Such is the scale of the projected increase in secondary school pupils that the Government should now seek to develop a National School Building Strategy that brings together the Department of Education, local and regional government, and industry. We must ensure there is a joined-up approach that embraces modern methods of construction such as modular and offsite techniques, which can deliver schools quickly and cost-effectively."

(CD/MH)