Dozens of free school projects have been shelved as the Department for Education (DfE) redirects funding to expand special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in mainstream schools.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson confirmed at least £3bn will be spent creating new specialist places in existing schools, including calm and purpose-built spaces designed for children with autism, ADHD and other additional needs.

Schools Week reported today that around two thirds of 44 mainstream free school plans placed under review when Labour entered government last year are set to be dropped.

Meanwhile, only 15 out of 92 planned special and alternative provision (AP) free schools will definitely proceed.

The change in approach follows a review of mainstream free school projects and comes amid rising demand for SEND provision, which has increased by 400,000 pupils since 2020 to reach 1.7 million.

The government said it will still deliver all 10,000 places planned through special free schools.

However, some of these will now be delivered directly by local authorities using equivalent capital funding, instead of new school construction, which ministers said could be delivered more quickly.

Phillipson said the reforms would “shift children with SEND from forgotten to included”, and reduce the need for pupils to travel long distances for education. More than 180,000 children with SEND currently receive transport to school, with nine per cent travelling alone in taxis.

The new investment will support the creation of tailored learning environments within mainstream schools, allowing pupils to receive support for part of the day while still joining other pupils for suitable lessons.

The department said only free schools those that meet local demographic or housing demand, or offer a unique educational offer without harming existing schools, would continue.

Primary enrolment numbers have been falling since 2019 and secondary numbers are expected to decline from 2026.

The government said a further 250 schools will be selected for rebuilding as part of a £38bn investment in the education estate between 2025 and 2030, with applications for that programme opening early next year.

Further details on the SEND reforms will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the new year.

Source: Construction News

Breathing Buildings is set to showcase its complete ventilation solution of natural, hybrid, and mechanical ventilation for schools, colleges, and universities on stand 208 at the Education Estates Exhibition and Conference. Taking place at the Manchester Central venue on 14-15 October 2025, the event combines a two-day conference with an exhibition displaying innovative solutions for the education sector. The focus of the integrated event is on educational infrastructure: the funding, design, build, maintenance, and management of schools, colleges, and universities. 

This exhibition is timely since it follows the Government’s Spending Review announcement, which included extra school funding. Within the funding is £2.4 billion in each of the next four years to rebuild over 500 schools. as well as an annual maintenance investment to help improve the condition of the school estate. As schools look to improve their energy efficiency, This is the ideal time to add low-carbon, high-efficiency ventilation solutions into both new and refurbished education buildings. Installing this ventilation will ensure that increasingly airtight buildings maintain a healthy and comfortable learning environment for students. It also helps to improve productivity, reduce absenteeism and improve academic performance.

In addition to supplying award-winning, energy-efficient ventilation systems, Breathing Buildings also offers a range of service and maintenance options to keep ventilation systems running efficiently, quietly, and reliably for longer. This ensures that optimum performance is maintained, utilising minimum energy and therefore providing cost savings for longer. It also provides a healthier and more productive environment for students and staff.  

Matthew Cooper, Business Development Director at Breathing Buildings, says: “Breathing Buildings is excited to be attending the Education Estates Exhibition and Conference in October. Visitors to our stand will be able to learn more about our complete ventilation solution, as well as service and maintenance options for schools, and how we can help create a healthy and productive learning environment. With the new Government funding, now is the ideal time for schools to invest in energy-efficient ventilation.”

Breathing Buildings’ award-winning Natural Ventilation with Heat Recycling (NVHR®) range is an adaptable solution for schools, offering hybrid ventilation, which uses both natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation in one system design. This is an ideal solution for commercial buildings with high heat gains, such as schools, colleges, leisure centres, offices, theatres, and even churches. Hybrid ventilation is highly efficient and harnesses free heat (and so energy) that has already built up within a space. By installing hybrid ventilation, commercial buildings can maximise health, comfort, and sustainability without having to invest in significant building works, making it ideal for retrofitting or change of use. 

Last year, Breathing Buildings added to its range of Natural Ventilation with Heat Recycling (NVHR®) systems with its NVHRe, Natural Ventilation with Heat Recycling and Heat Recovery. Marking the next step in hybrid ventilation technology, the key difference between Breathing Buildings’ original NVHR® range and the new innovative Natural Ventilation with Heat Recycling and Heat Recovery (NVHRe), is the addition of a low resistance heat exchanger cell within the unit. This allows the unit to benefit from both heat recycling and heat recovery, reclaiming even more heat than previous models, saving more energy, providing greater occupant comfort, and allowing users to include it within the building energy assessments (SBEM).

Offering the lowest energy consumption for a hybrid heat recovery ventilation unit in the industry, the company’s award-winning NVHRe combines 46% heat recovery efficiency with low Specific Fan Power (SFP) of 0.075 W/l/s to help maximise a building’s energy savings. In addition, the NVHRe has several different operating modes to minimise energy use, enhance IAQ, and improve occupant comfort. An intelligent hybrid system, the unit automatically decides when and if mechanical operation is required, ensuring it only operates and uses energy when absolutely necessary.

In addition, the range includes units that can be the primary source of heat, needing no radiators, as well as a system that can offer further cooling. The British-designed and manufactured units come in three models with product variations to suit every need, with the standard NVHRe 1100 an NVHRe+ 1100, which includes a heating coil and is ideal for buildings in cooler areas, and an NVHRe C+ 1100, which features a heating and cooling coil for year-round comfort and full temperature control.

However, certain environments, such as gyms, canteens, libraries, landlocked rooms (rooms with no external walls) or spaces requiring fixed extract rates, need mechanical ventilation solutions to maintain consistent air quality and comfort levels. Air Quality Management Areas, where air pollution levels are higher than the national air quality objectives, also require mechanical ventilation and higher levels of filtration. Recognising this need, Breathing Buildings recently expanded its portfolio with its MVHRe commercial heat recovery range so it can provide a full range of ventilation options for all settings. A high-efficiency Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system. With heat recovery efficiency of up to 93%, low energy consumption, and ultra-quiet operation, the MVHRe complements the company’s hybrid ventilation solutions, offering schools a fully integrated, low-carbon ventilation strategy.

Breathing Buildings has adopted the CIBSE TM65 methodology for collecting product data and has completed these evaluations for all its ventilation units, allowing specifiers to accurately evaluate their environmental impact. Meanwhile, Breathing Buildings’ turnkey approach helps everyone; from thermal modelling and system design to site meetings and client demonstrations, tailoring a service to a client’s needs and adding value at every opportunity are important values within the business.

Visitors to stand 208 will be able to learn more about Breathing Buildings’ entire ventilation solution, and its service and maintenance options for schools, as well as being able to have some interactive fun while Breathing Buildings serves refreshments.

To find out more about the Education Estates Exhibition and Conference, visit: https://www.educationestates.com. 

For further information on NVHR®, NVHRe, MVHRe, and E-stack ventilation, as well as other products and services offered by Breathing Buildings, visit www.breathingbuildings.com or call 01223 450 060.

Working with architect, Studio Dera, and contractor, IMS Building Solutions, Style was recently specified to divide the new teaching hall at Waltham Forest College in London, quickly allowing two separate rooms to be created. 

Meeting the criteria for a simple, yet highly effective, solution to divide the expansive space, Style recommended its popular Multiroll system.

Practical and affordable, Multiroll is a flexible, vertically rising moveable wall system that safely transforms vast spaces. Being housed in the ceiling when not in use, it takes up no floor space whatsoever, descending gracefully into position at the turn of a key.

Extensive safety testing and size specifications make Multiroll particularly suitable for schools, community centres and leisure facilities, delivering enhanced noise insulation and improved acoustics for large open areas such as gyms, sports halls and high-ceilinged rooms.

Waltham Forest College in London, is an inclusive college, supporting and encouraging students to ‘Think BIG’ in achieving their career goals.

Following a feasibility study into repurposing the old swimming pool and auxiliary spaces across the lower ground and ground floor, it was decided to convert this entire area into a large flexible teaching and learning space.

“The Multiroll is the perfect solution for Waltham Forest College,” said Michael Porter, Style’s group managing director, “as it’s an affordable and very effective solution for quickly dividing space and changing the use of the room.”

“On any given day, the college may need to cater for many different classes and events, and the simplicity and speed of operation of the Multiroll means the room can be opened up or divided into two between one class finishing and the next one starting.

“The college also hires out the room for external events, and being able to divide the room into two improves their ability to bring in important income as they can host more than one event at a time.” 

www.style-partitions.co.uk

Material Source Studio in Manchester serves as a hub of innovation and inspiration for built environment professionals. Featuring installations from over 50 leading brands, the space offers a dynamic mix of product showcases, seminars, workshops, CPDs, and networking facilities. The studio is designed to foster creativity while providing a comfortable, collaborative environment for designers and architects. 

CHALLENGE

When Material Source Studio sought to enhance its meeting room with a ceiling solution that would push the boundaries of traditional ceiling tiles and encourage collaboration across its partners, Zentia in collaboration with MSS partner, Light Forms, stepped in to deliver a tailored solution. 

To meet the unique needs of Material Source Studio, Zentia was tasked with incorporating a ceiling solution that would tie in with the room’s soft furnishing and create a cohesive visual appeal. A ceiling solution that could integrate lighting and remain acoustically sound was also required to ensure the installation provided practical benefits, including a comfortable co-working and networking atmosphere. 

Material Source Studio wanted to highlight how successful collaboration between different manufacturers could result in a high-quality, bespoke product solution. For Zentia, a grid solution had to be devised that could include bespoke lighting from Light Forms as well as the installation of triangle ceiling tiles. 

SOLUTION

Zentia proposed and delivered a bespoke solution featuring the DecoFrame Kit Classic Canopy, Gridline, and triangle tiles in a mixture of white and grey. Zentia’s Solutions Design Manager, Nick Harper, created the design alongside providing the expertise and partnership working that Zentia is known for.  

Key features of the solution included bespoke lighting, designed in collaboration with Light Forms, which complemented the overall aesthetic and functionality of the raft system. The raft was tailored to align perfectly with the size and space of the table beneath it, ensuring a balanced and cohesive look. 

The meeting room containing the Zentia ceiling solution is positioned next to the kitchen and at the bottom of the main staircase meaning people were often walking past. The room is also primarily used to host presentations and board meetings, so an acoustically sound solution was essential. 

Completed in July 2025, the installation by Sound Interiors has transformed the showroom, combining form and function to create a striking focal point. The DecoFrame Kit Classic Canopy, Gridline, and triangle tiles enhance the ambience, inspiring designers and architects while providing a comfortable, inviting atmosphere for collaboration. 

To find out more about Zentia click here.