Spending on improving school buildings has reached about �4bn a year

Money to replace old and worn-out school buildings in England is not being directed to the areas of greatest need, according to the public spending watchdog.

The Audit Commission says the government needs to re-examine the way it allocates money towards new and refurbished school buildings.

And there are also concerns that head teachers are not able to adequately supervise building projects to ensure that money is spent efficiently.

The Audit Commission says problems such as leaking roofs and crumbling classrooms reached "crisis level" in the 1990s.

Spending has now risen to around �4bn a year, bringing some improvements, but it says the money is not being targeted effectively.

Funding increases

It says that too much is distributed according to the number of pupils in a school rather than more critical factors such as the age and condition of buildings.

As a result, it concludes, not enough is reaching schools with the most urgent needs.

The report also highlighted concerns about the role of head teachers in supervising building work. And it called for more training and support for heads.

There were also cases where a shortage of tradesmen meant that schools were waiting in a queue to have building work carried out.

Increased funding

A government spokesman said funding had risen five-fold since 1997 and ministers would soon issue a new method of capital allocation.

The Department for Education and Skills says spending on school repairs will reach �5bn per year by 2005-2006, compared with �683m in 1996-97.

Conservative education spokesman Damian Green said: "This is a further example where the government is taxing and spending inefficiently.

"It's not only how much you spend it's how you spend it which makes a difference in the real world."