Rising school insurance claims put building resilience in the spotlight

Recent figures from the Department for Education's Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA) provide an indication of the scale of the challenge - and a useful prompt for schools to consider how well prepared their own estates are.

The latest published RPA analysis estimates claims of £154.3 million in 2025-26, rising to £159 million in 2026-27, £171.4 million in 2027-28 and £183.3 million in 2028-29.¹ These are projections rather than actual future losses and remain subject to uncertainty.

While the figures relate specifically to the RPA, the risks behind them are relevant to schools and academies more broadly, regardless of how they arrange their insurance.

What are the figures telling us about school property risks?

Fire remains one of the areas where significant losses can occur.

According to the latest published figures, £22.8 million of fire losses had already been reported in the first four months of 2025-26.¹ Fire losses can include damage to school buildings and contents as well as costs associated with alternative accommodation.

The figures also highlight growing losses associated with severe weather. Reported flood and storm losses increased from £19.7 million in 2023-24 to £28.5 million in 2024-25.¹

There can be many factors behind individual losses, so the figures shouldn't be taken as evidence that every school faces the same level of risk. They do, however, highlight why understanding the condition and vulnerabilities of individual buildings is so important.

Why does the condition of school buildings matter?

Schools are responsible for buildings of different ages, designs and construction types, sometimes spread across large or complex estates.

Problems that appear relatively minor can become more significant if they are not identified and addressed. Roof defects or drainage problems, for example, can become particularly important during periods of heavy rain, while the potential consequences of a fire can extend well beyond physical damage to a building.

For leadership and estates teams, this makes good information about the condition of the estate valuable. Regular inspections and appropriate condition information can help identify deterioration and inform decisions about where maintenance should be prioritised.

It is also important to consider risks in combination. Building condition, maintenance, fire safety, severe weather and business continuity are interconnected. An incident affecting one part of an estate can quickly become an operational issue if classrooms or other essential facilities can't be used.

How can schools prepare for severe weather?

The increase in reported flood and storm losses makes weather resilience particularly relevant for schools.

Preparing ahead of periods of severe weather can include reviewing areas of the estate that may be more vulnerable to water ingress and ensuring appropriate inspection and maintenance arrangements are in place.

Roofs are one obvious area to consider, but schools should also understand the condition of drainage and other parts of the building through which water could potentially enter.

After severe weather, identifying signs of damage or water ingress early can also help schools address problems before they become more extensive.

Schools should consider their individual site, buildings and circumstances when deciding what measures are appropriate, and obtain specialist advice where it is needed.

What should schools consider when reviewing fire risk?

The volatility in fire losses is another reminder that fire deserves continued attention.

Schools should ensure their fire risk assessments remain appropriate and that relevant fire protection measures are properly inspected and maintained.

Risk can also change temporarily. Building, refurbishment and maintenance projects can introduce different hazards to those encountered during normal school operations, particularly where hot works are involved.

That makes it important to consider how changes to buildings or activities may affect existing risk assessments and controls, rather than treating fire risk as a one-off exercise.

Could your school continue after a major incident?

Preventing losses is only one element of resilience.

Schools should also consider what would happen if, despite the controls in place, a significant incident occurred and part of the estate could no longer be used.

A serious fire or flood might mean losing access to classrooms, IT equipment, catering facilities or other important areas. Business continuity planning can help schools think through those consequences before they have to respond to them for real.

Useful questions to consider include:

• Which buildings, facilities and services are most critical to maintaining education?
• What would happen if they were unavailable for several days or longer?
• What alternative arrangements could be made?
• Who would need to make key decisions and communicate with staff, families and other stakeholders?
• Are continuity plans up to date and understood by the people who would need to use them?

The aim isn't to predict every possible incident. It is to understand the most important dependencies and have realistic arrangements for responding to disruption.

Five questions for schools and academies

The latest claims data provides a useful opportunity for estates teams and school leaders to step back and consider their own position:

• Do we have an up-to-date picture of the condition of our buildings?
• Are maintenance priorities informed by risk as well as immediate need?
• Have we considered how vulnerable our buildings are to fire and severe weather?
• Do our risk assessments reflect recent changes to buildings or their use?
• Would our business continuity arrangements work if an important building suddenly became unavailable?

Insurance has an important role in providing financial protection when an insured event occurs, but resilience begins before a claim.

For schools and academies, regularly reviewing building condition, understanding key property risks and planning for disruption can help identify vulnerabilities earlier and support decisions about where preventative action should be prioritised.

With claims costs projected to continue rising, the figures are a timely reminder that taking time to understand the risks across a school estate can be just as important as knowing how to respond when something goes wrong.

If you have any questions about the topics covered in this article, or would like to discuss the risks affecting your school or academy, please get in touch with our schools team at schools.team@uk.zurich.com.

Sources

• ¹Government Actuary’s Department, Risk Protection Arrangement: summary of ultimate claim estimates as at 31 December 2025 (published 30 March 2026)