Schools to be given £456 million investment to improve buildings

As reported by gov.uk, over 1,000 school building improvement projects will receive the green light today as part of plans to boost the condition of the school estate

859 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided schools every region of the country will receive a share of a £456 million pot created to help refurbish and repair school buildings.

The funding will ensure that pupils can learn in safe, warm and energy efficient classrooms.

Overall, the government has committed £1.8bn of capital funding for the financial year 2023-24 to improve the condition of school buildings – including £1.1bn for local authorities, large multi-academy trusts and voluntary aided bodies announced in March.

Minister for the School System, Baroness Diana Barran MBE said: “Our Condition Improvement Fund has already completed over eleven thousand 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.”

The department has allocated over £15bn since 2015 to support the government’s priority for schools to have safe, well-maintained facilities that support a high-quality education for pupils.   

The announcement follows on from 239 new school buildings confirmed in December as part of the Schools Rebuilding Programme, with 400 out of 500 schools and sixth form colleges now been selected for rebuilds through the ten-year programme.