Schools across England are to benefit from investment of over £1.4bn in buildings and facilities over the coming financial year
This investment includes over £430m from the Condition Improvement Fund, covering more than 1,400 projects.
The funding also includes almost £800m for local authorities and larger multi-academy trusts to invest in improving and maintaining their school buildings.
In addition, the priority school building programme is rebuilding or refurbishing facilities at over 500 schools across England.
This investment comes after stats last week revealed the government is on track to deliver 1 million new school places by 2020 – with 921,000 created since 2010.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: “Schools are much more than just buildings; they are the centres of communities, they are where children learn skills for the rest of their lives, and they are safe havens. That’s why it’s vital they are in the best possible condition.
“So as well as providing the resources for all schools to maintain and renew their facilities, today’s funding will target those schools with some of the most urgent need – making sure children don’t have to spend time in buildings that aren’t fit for purpose.”
This year’s funding will go to projects that tackle building condition and health and safety compliance, such as replacing roofs, windows and fire alarm systems, to ensure that school buildings are kept safe and open.
In addition to this, the department has announced that over £8m in interest-free loan funding will be split between 167 academies to pay for energy efficiency projects including heating controls lighting upgrades and insulation.
