Coalville area schools to get a slice of Government funding aimed at providing repairs and upgrades

By Hannah Richardson 23rd May 2023

Image by Juraj Varga, Pixabay
Image by Juraj Varga, Pixabay

Two Coalville area schools are among more than 30 across the county that will be given Government cash for much-needed repairs and upgrades.

All Saints Church of England Primary School, in Coalville, will be funded for Legislation Compliance Safeguarding - to promote the welfare of children; while Swannington Church of England Primary School, is to get money for urgent heating works.

The money comes from the Government's Condition Improvement Fund with more than 1,000 school building improvement projects approved.

Around 859 academies, sixth-form colleges and schools across the country will receive a share of the £456 million pot intended for the refurbishment and repair of school buildings.

Of the 33 Leicestershire schools receiving a share of the cash, 20 described the work they need as "urgent".

These projects include work on roofs, fire safety and electrical systems, and mobile classrooms. Some schools said they need the money for urgent safeguarding reasons.

Primary and special schools can bid for between £20,000 and £4 million per project, while secondary and sixth-form settings can bid for between £50,000 and £4 million. Schools can apply for up to two projects at a time.

Money can be granted for schemes that improve the condition of the school buildings, including the replacement of high priority components such as structural elements, boilers and electrics, fire doors and alarms, roof coverings and windows, and asbestos removal, the Government said. Works can also support expansion projects to create additional places or tackle overcrowding at the school.

A report last year revealed that some school buildings in England were in such disrepair that they posed a "risk to life" to children and staff. The Department for Education also raised the risk of school buildings collapsing from "critical" to "critical – very likely" in its annual report in December 2022. However, parents have not been told which schools present a risk.

The National Education Union is backing calls from the Labour Party for the Government to publish a information about the state of school buildings.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: "It is disturbing that the Government has let school buildings fall into such a state of disrepair that some even pose a risk to those who work and study in them.

"It is equally disturbing that despite the warnings Government either does not know, or will not tell us, which buildings fall into this category. In one of the most advanced economies in the world it is shocking that children, young people and school staff work and learn in an environment that is dangerously unsafe."

     

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