Leaders will be issued with guidance on selling-off surplus school land in a bid to 鈥渦nlock potential in the education estate鈥 and fund vital rebuilds. , the Department for Education鈥檚 property company, is set to publish the advice in the coming weeks, as Schools Week analysis shows land disposals have fallen to a four-year low. The government-backed firm also hopes to roll-out building projects that will see rundown inner-city schools operate within newly constructed blocks of flats. Geoff Barton But Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e surely reached the bottom of the funding barrel when schools are being advised to sell off land in order to pay for capital projects.鈥 LocatED revealed last year it had been asked to assess 316 school sites with surplus land. A Freedom of Information response last month showed the firm has been commissioned to undertake analysis of 132 more plots. Of these, five were considered worthy of further consideration. Efforts to sell-off surplus school land for housing were ramped up in 2019 and the instruction to review hundreds of sites represented a big escalation. Just 8 land disposals signed off this year Despite this, government figures show only eight disposals of school land had been given the government greenlight between January and August 2023. When extrapolated across the whole year, the number stands at 12. The figure is a drop-off from last year鈥檚 20 and is the lowest since 2019 (11). The LocatED spokesperson said they work with the Department for Education to identify 鈥渨here the team is able to work with school landowners to unlock potential in the education estate鈥. 鈥淲ith this in mind, LocatED has produced a document that will help school landowners navigate the process of developing school land in order to release capital for reinvestment in the school estate. This is due for publication in the next few weeks.鈥 Officials recently completed feasibility studies on bankrolling the redevelopment of St James Hatcham Primary in south London through the creation of 100 homes. Speaking at last month鈥檚 Schools and Academies Show, LocatED associate director Will Attlee explained the current site has 鈥溌1 million of condition need and not much chance of getting the money鈥 otherwise. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in that classic band where it鈥檚 pretty bad, but not so bad it鈥檚 falling down and that it will qualify for DfE funding,鈥 he said. Housing provides funding for rebuild 鈥淲hat we鈥檝e done is put together a scheme that will rebuild that school on the existing site 鈥 [and is] fully funded by the development of around 100 new homes. This is clearly something that works in city centres, but not everywhere.鈥 St James Hatcham鈥檚 sports hall is earmarked for space across the block鈥檚 ground floor, while classrooms will be located on the level above. Affordable housing will be spread across the building鈥檚 upper floors. Attlee noted the building鈥檚 footprint 鈥渨ill be reduced, even though the actual floor area is maintained鈥. This is expected to leave 鈥渁dditional outdoor area for the pupils to use鈥. A LocatED spokesperson confirmed its teams are 鈥渁ssessing next steps in light of current market conditions鈥. However, the firm believes 鈥渢here is potential for this type of development across other sites in city centre locations鈥. 鈥淭here are a lot of one-form-entry schools that are on one- to two-acre sites,鈥 Attlee argued. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a class of 1960s post-war buildings [and] they鈥檝e probably got significant condition need.鈥 LocateED also oversaw the sale of one of St John Fisher Catholic Comprehensive鈥檚 two former sites in Chatham, Kent, for 拢3.85 million. CGIs produced ahead of the St John Fisher rebuild The school, which operated across two buildings in separate locations, moved to a new base in the spring, after being selected for redevelopment through the government鈥檚 priority school building programme in 2014. Schools ‘among top 10 landowners’ Funds raised through the deal 鈥 which completed earlier this year 鈥 were handed back to DfE 鈥渁s a contribution towards the cost of delivering the new鈥 facility. 鈥淭his has delivered 100 new homes and brought [in] 拢4 million,鈥 Attlee said, adding that schools are responsible for 125,000 acres, which 鈥減uts us in the top 10 landowners in the country鈥. CGIs produced ahead of the St John Fisher rebuild Despite this, the wider 鈥減roperty world 鈥doesn鈥檛] think of education as something they need to think about seriously鈥 and there remains 鈥渁 lot of inefficient use鈥 of the estate. But Barton said the scheme 鈥渇eels like a tacit admission鈥 that current capital funding is 鈥渢otally inadequate and that schools and colleges are going to have rely on the random chance that they may have some land that it might be possible to sell鈥. The government estimates its backlog of school repairs totals 拢11.4 billion. James Bowen, assistant general secretary of school leaders鈥 union NAHT, added 鈥渧ery few鈥 schools have surplus land, and that parents 鈥渨ill be pretty unimpressed to discover that schools are being encouraged to consider this鈥. ‘Masterplan’ for 350 new homes Steve Chalke But Attlee pointed to a new project LocatED is working on with Oasis Community Learning, one of the largest academy trusts in England, and Bristol City Council. 鈥淵ou have one fairly new school built in 2012 [Oasis Academy John Williams] and a typical 1960s primary school that has significant condition need [Oasis Academy New Oak]. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working with the trust to deliver a new masterplan with 350 new homes 鈥 [of which] 30 per cent are affordable 鈥 a new children鈥檚 centre and a new primary school. And that鈥檚 all going to be fully funded through money raised from the residential [plan].鈥 Oasis founder Steve Chalke said the scheme would give him the opportunity to secure a larger primary school equipped with special educational needs provision. The current site 鈥渓eaks heat, is tired [and] past its sell-by date鈥 and Bristol also has a 鈥渉ousing crisis鈥, he added. The development is earmarked for more than 20 acres of fields, deemed 鈥渟urplus to requirements鈥 by the DfE, that pupils do not use and 鈥渉alf of which is muddy鈥. But 鈥渘othing has been decided yet鈥.