More than a thousand projects to improve the standard of school buildings are to be given the go-ahead today, as the Department for Education looks to improve the condition of the UK’s school estate.
A pot worth £456 million will be shared by 859 academies, sixth-form colleges, and voluntary aided schools to refurbish and repair their buildings, in order to provide a safe, warm and energy efficient space for children to learn. This funding is part of an overall £1.8 billion that the government is committing over the course of the 2023-24 financial year to improve the condition of school buildings. This includes £1.1 billion for local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and voluntary aided schools.
This announcement also follows the news that 400 out of 500 schools and sixth form colleges around the country have been selected for rebuilds through the Schools Rebuilding Programme.
Baroness Diana Barran MBE, Minister for the School System, said:
“Our condition Improvement Fund has already completed over eleven thousands projects, making a difference to pupils and teachers across the country. These projects help to create safer learning environments that make a difference to the quality of education for pupils.
“It’s hugely important that every school has access to high-quality learning facilities and these funding allocations will make sure that responsible bodies can start to plan ahead and get projects started to replace roofs, boilers and windows – so pupils and teachers can learn and work in a comfortable space.”
More than £15 billion has been committed by the Department for Education since 2015, with the aim of ensuring that schools have facilities that are safe and well-maintained so that a high-quality education can be provided for all students.
