Panorama investigates the state of many of Britain’s school buildings, meeting the headteachers struggling to keep children safe in their classrooms and hearing from children learning in gloves due to extreme cold.

Reporter Rahil Sheikh visits schools during the harsh winter months, discovering that recent concerns over crumbling concrete are just the tip of the iceberg. Figures from the National Audit Office show that more than £11 billion is needed for repairs, with 700,000 children currently learning in substandard schools.

At Scalby School in Scarborough, two-thirds of the site was closed due to the discovery of crumbling reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) last year. Months on, there is still no confirmation from the government that it will be rebuilt. At Russell Scott Primary School outside Manchester, every time it rains, teaching staff are forced to use sandbags to keep the water at bay. Pupils were promised a new school in 2022, but Panorama reveals that they are still waiting, forced to learn in appalling conditions. Show less