It comes as new government figures show that almost
735,000 additional school places have been created since
2010 - with 92% of new primary places and 89% of new
secondary places created in schools rated as ‘good’ or
‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2015 to 2016.
Local councils say they need to create over 230,000
primary and secondary school places nationally between
2017 and 2020. The funding announced today will provide a
further boost to the government’s drive to help create
over 600,000 extra places by 2021, which will generate
additional capacity to meet local demand.
Schools, local authorities and academy trusts will also
receive a share of £1.4 billion to invest in upgrading or
improving their school buildings. As part of this,
academies and sixth-form colleges throughout the country,
will receive a total of £466 million to pay for almost
1,500 vital school building work projects.
As part of its Plan for
Britain, the government wants every child to have
access to a ‘good’ school place, giving them the skills
and knowledge they need to succeed in the future.
Alongside this multi-billion pound investment, the
government is considering wider proposals to ensure
school standards continue to rise by creating more ‘good’
places in every part of the country.
These proposals include lifting the ban on new grammar
schools - on the strict condition they improve the
education of other pupils in the system - as well as
harnessing the expertise and resources of our
universities, and our independent and faith schools.
Education Secretary said:
Our Plan for Britain is to build a fairer society, with
a good school place available for every child.
This £2.4 billion investment, together with our
proposals to create more good school places, will help
ensure every young person has the opportunity to fulfil
their potential.
The £2.4 billion allocated today is part of more than £24
billion the government has committed to investing in the
school estate between 2015 to 2021.
Notes to editors
- We have announced £2.4 billion of capital funding
allocations to create new school places across the
country, and to maintain and improve the condition of
school buildings.
This funding comprises £980 million of
funding allocations for local authorities in 2019 to
2020, to create over 60,000 school places needed.
This is part of a wider investment of £7 billion in the
course of this Parliament which, alongside our investment
in the free schools programme, we expect to create an
additional 600,000 places by 2021.
The funding also comprises £1.4 billion of
funding allocations for schools, local authorities and
academy trusts to invest in improving the
condition of the school estate. This
includes £466 million
through the Condition Improvement Fund to fund
1,435 projects across 1,184 academies and sixth-form
colleges.
-
The government’s ‘schools that
work for everyone’ consultation closed in
December last year (2016). The responses are
currently being considered, and the government will
respond shortly.
-
The government has also published today:
