· Prime Minister’s pledge to improve schools met with
fast-tracked £560 million boost
· 580 new confirmed building projects across England to
benefit from this funding
· Brings total condition funding for school estate above
£2 billion this year
Funding has today (Wednesday 5 August) been allocated for 580
building projects at academies, sixth form colleges and voluntary
aided schools in England to transform facilities and improve
school buildings.
The funding will be used to repair and upgrade school facilities
and create modern, fit-for-purpose spaces that meet schools’
needs. It also allows for a small number of expansion projects to
increase school capacity.
Projects range from the upgrading of boilers to new green,
energy-efficient models, to the complete refurbishment of a
classroom block with brand new facilities.
The works can begin as soon as schools are ready, and the
majority should be completed this financial year.
Today’s funding comes from the £560 million announced by the
Prime Minister last month to help the nation bounce back from the
pandemic, investing in schools to help teachers deliver a
world-class education and create jobs.
The government is also bringing forward £200 million for FE
colleges this year, as part of plans for £1.5 billion of
investment over five years to transform the FE college
estate.
The Prime Minister’s transformative new ten-year school
rebuilding programme also starts this year, supported by over £1
billion in funding for the first 50 projects. This investment
will be targeted at school buildings in the worst condition
across England – including substantial investment in the North
and the Midlands – as part of the Prime Minister’s plan to level
up opportunity for all.
Education Secretary
said:
“As we work towards all children returning to school in
September, this investment in our school and college buildings
helps create modern environments that lend themselves to great
teaching, making sure every child has the opportunity to fulfil
their potential.
“We have worked at great speed to release this additional
£560 million of condition funding to schools for projects this
year to kick-start the economy and transform the buildings so
vital for excellent teaching.
“We have now allocated over £2 billion this year to improve the
condition of our school buildings, paving the way for our new
transformative ten-year school building programme starting later
this year with over £1 billion funding for the first wave of 50
schools.”
Brendan Tapping, CEO, Bishop Chadwick Catholic
Education Trust said:
“We are delighted that we have been granted the funding to
build six additional teaching spaces, as well as increase the
size of our dining room.
“The improvements to our building will greatly enhance the
experience of our students, not least because we will be able to
build the new facilities to the most modern standards.
“With our plans coming together to enable all children to
return to school in September, it is great to be able to look to
the future and know we will have the space and facilities we need
to give all our children the education they deserve.”
The 580 building projects are supported by over £180
million in funding distributed through the Department’s Condition
Improvement Fund. They have been selected based on bids submitted
to the fund for the main funding round earlier this year.
The remainder of the £560 million is being provided to
local authorities, larger multi-academy trusts and large
voluntary aided school bodies to spend on improving the condition
of their schools.
This additional funding comes on top of over £1.4 billion
already allocated in 2020-21 to improve the condition of the
school estate.
Over £1 billion is being invested to fund the first
50 projects of the new, ten-year school rebuilding programme,
starting later this year. These projects will be confirmed in the
autumn, and construction on the first sites will begin from
September 2021.
As the first major school rebuilding programme to be
launched since 2014, these building projects will be more
environmentally-friendly and employ the latest construction
methods – creating highly skilled jobs and providing a boost for
the construction sector.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- On 29 June,
the Department also announced the outcomes of the main Condition
Improvement Fund 2020-21 application round, funding 1,467
condition projects and 9 expansion projects.
- The additional
investment today means that in total for 2020-21 we will have
awarded funding for 2,056 projects, benefitting 1,790 schools and
colleges.
