28.10.19
More than £400m available for school and college improvements
Academies and sixth form colleges across England will see huge facility transformations and improvements with share of more than £400m.
The multi-million-pound government fund, open today (Oct 28), can be used by academies and sixth form colleges through bidding for a share of the fund and investing it into their academic building.
New criteria will be placed on this year’s applicants, favouring bids from schools with good governance and organised finances, including modest executive salaries as part of the government crack down on high pay, resulting in 51 academy trusts reducing top salaries as a result.
School improvements can include expanding classrooms, upgrading facilities such as sports halls or science labs and keeping on top of general wear and tear of school buildings.
Today’s £400m investment to improve schools, the Condition Improvement Fund, follows the Prime Minister’s announcement confirming the budget for schools and high needs education would be increased by a total of over £14 billion over three years, rising to £52.2 billion by 2022-23.
Schools and local authorities found out earlier this month their allocations for the first part of that investment, £2.6 billion, for the coming year.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
This government is determined to give all children the best possible education, but as well as great teachers, we want all pupils to learn in classrooms that enable them to gain the knowledge and skills they need for success.
Following our huge investment in school funding with an increase of a total of £14 billion over three years, this year’s multi-million-pound fund will support our pledge to create more good school places and continue raising standards.
The announcement comes just before this Thursday’s (31 Oct) deadline for parents to choose secondary schools for their children.