Guidance
Design standards: employer's requirements
Documents forming DfE's employer's requirements for the design and construction of school and college buildings and outdoor environments.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
These documents set out design and construction requirements for school and college buildings and outdoor environments. They form the employer’s requirements for the School buildings: construction framework 2025.
The documents are for:
- local authorities (for community, voluntary-controlled schools, foundation schools and maintained nursery schools)
- academy trusts (for academies and free schools)
- governing bodies (for voluntary-aided schools)
- school or college leaders, staff and governing bodies in: further education colleges and designated institutions, sixth form colleges, maintained schools, academies and free schools, pupil referral units, City Technology Colleges, non-maintained special schools and maintained nursery schools
- technical professionals involved in the design, construction and maintenance of school and college premises.
Academy trusts with a religious character and the responsible bodies for voluntary-aided and voluntary controlled schools should engage with the land or site trustees for their land and buildings and the relevant religious body, most often their Diocese.
Updates to this page
Published 11 February 2026