Making school buildings a priority

Current Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Education Secretary Nicky Morgan have unveiled details on the second phase of the governments Priority School Building Programme. Clegg and Morgan announced how £2 billion will be spent across the 277 schools that qualified. Over £6 billion has been allocated by the current government in the scheme to date, which swiftly replaced the ambitious and sometimes lavish Building Schools for the Future programme, introduced during Tony Blair’s stint as Prime Minister.
    
With a focus on rebuilding and refurbishing the schools in most urgent need of repair, the Priority School Building Programme was introduced in August 2011, and in May 2012, the first batch of 261 schools from across the country were confirmed as eligible for the funding.
    
The first to open under the rebuild scheme was Whitmore Park Primary in Coventry, which opened to pupils in May last year following an injection of £5 million to create the new building and facilities. As of January this year, 16 schools from the first phase were open and operating, while 55 are under construction, with the remaining schools fully involved in planning and development stages.

Buildings at risk
In May 2014, the government announced further plans to pursue the repair work on school buildings with the introduction of phase two of the programme. The next £2 billion concentrated on individual buildings, not necessarily whole school buildings, but it aims to address the needs of a further 277 schools across the country. The methodology prioritised individual school buildings or blocks where the continued operation of the school is at risk due to the building’s poor condition – determined as a building that is not functioning as intended or is at risk of imminent failure.

Schools included in the second phase of the programme can now begin developing plans for refurbishment, with completed construction expected to be around by September 2017. A revamp of 537 schools in total.
    
Clegg commented: “Children can’t learn and teachers can’t teach in schools that are cold and have leaking roofs. It is crucial that we invest properly in education, so that every child has a fair start in life. Thousands of pupils will benefit from better, brighter, warmer classrooms thanks to this funding.”

Long-term plan
Education Secretary Morgan said: “This announcement is a major step towards ensuring all children no matter what their background and no matter where they live have access to the best possible schools and learn in an environment that gives them the knowledge and skills to succeed in the global race.” Discussing what the announcement means for the long term future of the education sector, Morgan stated: “As part of our long term economic plan, we have continued to invest in school buildings which will ensure we can deliver even more great new schools, transform the learning environment for tens of thousands of pupils and their teachers whilst delivering value for money for the taxpayer.”
    
The news has been welcomed by various bodies, including the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT). General secretary Russell Hobby said: “The announcement of extra money for schools is welcome news. Investment in school buildings is vital and needs to be maintained. The government must now ensure that this money will reach the schools that need it most.
    
“Proposals by the Conservatives to reduce spending per child by around 10 per cent after the general election will cause difficulties however. Any cuts to education funding will damage the life chances of the next generation of school leavers. Children should not be the ones to pay the price for any political effort to gain control of public finances.
    
“NAHT has been urging all the major political parties to commit to protecting funding for education in the next parliament. The new funding for buildings, announced today is welcome but with so little time to go to the election, parents and teachers are still waiting to hear which party has the clearest vision for schools after May.”
    
The Deepings School in Lincolnshire is one of the 277 schools included in phase two of the programme. The school, which became an academy on 1 February 2012 and caters for 1600 students across all secondary school years, has earmarked a block that houses art, fashion, resistant materials and food technology for refurbishment. Headteacher Richard Trow said: “We are delighted that our students and staff will have a state of the art facility in which to teach and learn. This new Art, Design and Technology Centre will allow us to be even more adventurous in our approach and raise standards even further.”
    
Steyning Grammar School is one of only three successful schools in West Sussex to receive funding from the building programme. The funding that the school is set to receive will be directed towards replacing all temporary accommodation on its Shooting Field site with a permanent classroom block. Headteacher Nick Wergan said: “We are delighted that the hard work, ambition and achievement of our staff and students is being recognised, and that our building provision will now reflect the innovation and high aspirations of our teaching practice.”

Labour scrutiny
The promise of extra funding and the commencing of the second phase of the programme has come under scrutiny. Tristram Hunt, the shadow Education Secretary, has been critical of the Priority School Building Programme, emphasising how the scheme was “limping along at a staggeringly slow pace”, with only one in four schools from the initial phase actually under construction work, three years on from the announcement made by then Education Secretary Michael Gove.

One such school that had been a victim of the “slow pace” is Mesne Lea Primary School in Salford. Having been granted a £3.9 million fit-for-purpose rebuild under the first phase of the Priority School Building Programme in May 2012, the school from the North West has finally celebrated the start of construction work by hosting an official turf cutting ceremony on the school grounds. The work at Mesne Lea is expected to be finished by September 2015.
    
Julie Finlay, headteacher at Mesne Lea Primary School, said: “The children, staff and governors are working hard to become an outstanding school. This new school building will help us to achieve this. The children are excited to see the start of the works and are looking forward to watching the building take shape.”
    
David Laws, Schools Minister, also celebrated the start of construction. He said: “The start of construction work at Mesne Lea Primary School marks a key milestone for the Priority School Building Programme in the North West and an exciting phase in the development of the school.”
    
Francis Askey Primary School in Hull is another school finally witnessing progress from the Priority School Building Programme. A £4.2 million rebuild that will see the existing building knocked down and a new two story school built in its place. Similarly, Eastfield Primary School in Hull has work under way on a £5.4 million refurbishment project, due for completion in June 2016. The project will see a new two storey school building replace the old existing structures.
    
Nicky Morgan has also released information concerning a second financial injection into the education sector, pledging over £4 billion worth of allocations to schools, local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided partnerships. The money covers three years from 2015-2016 to 2017-2018.
    
Gunnersbury Catholic School, located on The Ride, will use the money towards refurbishing its dilapidated sports hall. Headteacher Kevin Burke was delighted to hear his school had secured some funding. He said: “We are delighted to have secured funding from the Department of Education to replace our current sports hall and PE accommodation.
    
“At Gunnersbury Catholic School sport and physical activity have always been viewed as integral to a quality education.
    
“The proposed developments will enable the continued provision of outstanding sporting opportunities, education and enjoyment to our current and future students.”
    
MP for Brentford and Isleworth, Mary Macleod, who spoke to Education Secretary Nicky Morgan at a one-to-one meeting last year about the bid, and visited the school in the autumn followed by a letter to the minister, was pleased to hear the news.
    
Macleod said: “When I visited the school in late October, It was clear that it was an outstanding place to learn with a great team behind it.
    
“I know how important sport is to the school and this funding will really help to support their already growing sport programmes and opportunities”.

Double whammy
However, the shockwaves from cancellation of the £55bn Building Schools for the Future programme in 2010 are still being felt. The Shildon Campus of Greenfield Community College in County Durham missed out back then, along with along with Belmont Community School in Durham City, Ferryhill Business and Enterprise College, St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham City, Durham Sixth Form Centre and Tanfield School in Stanley.
    
David Priestley, executive head of the Shildon Campus, admitted he was disappointed and told the Darlington and Stockton Times that he felt he’d been hit by a “double whammy” after a bid for a share in government repair funds was turned down for the second time.
    
He admitted he was disappointed: “It is a bit of a double whammy. The situation we are in is that the buildings are in desperate need of repair.”
    
“We will continue to look for ways of funding the development work that we need. We will make the best of the external fabric while we give a quality experience to our young people.”
    
When the news came the Calder High School in Mytholmroyd had missed out in the latest wave, Calder Valley MP Craig Whittaker apparently hit the roof. “I am bitterly disappointed that Todmorden and Calder High have not been included within the PSBP. I have lobbied various government ministers for their inclusion in the programme for many years and this decision is a bitter pill to swallow.”
    
“As part of the Education Select Committee I have visited hundreds of different schools across the country and I can honestly say that I have not seen a school which is more in need of repair than Todmorden High.”

No cash for one of Gove's 'worst schools'
Calderdale councillor Susan Press (Lab, Todmorden) said: “When the former Education Minister Michael Gove visited Calder High some years ago he described it as one of the worst schools he had ever seen. Having cancelled the Building Schools For The Future funding Todmorden High School and Calder High were to receive under the previous Labour government, the Tories and Lib Dem Coalition now deliver this double blow to the Upper Valley despite years of promises and pledges from our local MP.”

Further information
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