Author: Oliver Wakefield-Smith, Founder Digital Signet. Reviewed against DfE Sustainability Strategy (Mar 2025) and Education Estates Strategy (Feb 2026). Verified 22 June 2026.
Primary typical ceiling near £480k (1,800 m2, 1945-1976, gas, South East). Secondary typical ceiling near £2.4m (7,500 m2, same age and region). The 5x ratio is driven by GIA, not directly by pupil count.
Primary typical ceiling near £480k (1,800 m2, 1945-1976, gas, South East). Secondary typical ceiling near £2.4m (7,500 m2, same age and region). The 5x ratio is driven by GIA, not directly by pupil count.
Primary: fabric (45 per cent), ASHP (30 per cent), solar PV (10 per cent), LED (8 per cent), BMS (7 per cent). Secondary: fabric (40 per cent), ASHP (40 per cent), solar PV (8 per cent), LED (7 per cent), BMS plus DNO (5 per cent).
Per pupil, primary lands near £1,600 and secondary near £1,900 on the typical assumptions above. The gap widens for pre-1944 primary stock and narrows for post-2000 secondary new-build extensions.
PSDS Phase 4 scoring is largely phase-agnostic; bundled fabric plus ASHP scopes score well in both phases. The CAPEX per pound of carbon abated is materially better at secondary scale.