Rebuilding the school estate

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 to replace Labour’s Building Schools for the Future Programme.
    
In May 2012, the first batch of 261 schools from across the country were confirmed as eligible for the funding and in May 2014, the government announced phase two of the programme worth £2 billion. In February 2015, the government confirmed which schools (277) would receive a share of the second-round funding.
    
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.

New openings
Ernesford Grange Community Academy and Riverbank Academy in Coventry, which share the same premises, have reopened after their old buildings were rebuilt under the first phase of the Government’s Priority School Building Programme (PSBP).
    
The £20 million redevelopment project by Wates Construction comprised a new single‑storey SEN school and a three-storey secondary academy.
    
Ernesford Grange Community Academy was one of a number of secondary schools in Coventry that were awaiting a new building as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme. But the promised rebuild was cancelled in 2010 after the programme was scrapped. Ernesford Grange Community Academy is the first of those which lost their previously agreed funding to get a complete rebuild.
    
Head Chris Dennington said: “It is as if all my Christmases and birthday have come at once. We’re now all under one roof and we don’t have to go outside to get from one lesson to another.”
    
Student leader Lucy Ellis, 14, said: “It’s much bigger and spacious rather than everybody being crowded together.”
    
Ernesford Grange takes students aged 11 to 19 and the capacity of the new school building is 1,025. The co-located SEN school Riverbank Academy has a capacity of 150 pupils from the same age range.

New building for Derby School
Lees Brook Community School in Chaddesden, Derby opened its new £12m PSBP school in November 2014.
    
It was due to get a new building under the Building Schools for the Future project, which was worth double the money, but it was cancelled following the change of government.
    
“The school had a project worth £23m cancelled when the Building Schools for the Future programme was cut short,” explained BAM project manager Adrian Moss. “We had to understand their expectations and manage these while delivering a scheme with almost half the budget.”
    
But head teacher Phil Dover said: “Despite the dip in money, I feel that we have acquired a compact and very modern school with features, such as a library, we have not had for years.
    
“There will also be possible additional computing features such as tablets for pupils in the future and wifi across the school, as we become a more digital school.”
    
The school’s existing sports hall has been refurbished and enhanced with extra dance and gym resources to create a community use area.

New site for Arts College 
Hill Top Specialist Arts College in Gateshead is a special school which has a strong specialism in the arts, gaining specialist arts college status in 2010.
    
The new £4.4 million PSBP rebuild by contractors Sir Robert McAlpine comprises of specialist teaching areas, a new performance hall, sensory rooms and a post-16 facility.
    
Becky Harrison, Executive Headteacher at Hill Top Specialist Arts College, said: ”We are absolutely delighted with the new school build and feel the building will now truly reflect the high quality of teaching and learning, as well as further enhance it for pupils and staff. We know the new school will be a happy and healthy environment that will inspire all and further raise aspirations and achievement.
    
“The new school enhances the opportunity for community use and we look forward to sharing this excellent provision with the local community, particularly as the landscaping is completed.”

Second round funding
When announcing the 277 schools that will receive money through the second round of funding, 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 Deepings School in Lincolnshire is one of the 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.”

Still waiting
However, many schools have been left frustrated after being confirmed as eligible for a rebuild under the Building Schools for the Programme, but turned down by the PSBP.
    
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 twice 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 said: “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.”
    
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.”

European funding
The European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States, is supporting England’s plans to improve its school estate by giving long-term loans to schools whose buildings are in a bad state.
    
It is expected to support construction of a total of 46 new state primary and secondary schools under the PSBP initiative and provide around £274 million of overall support. The loans will be for around 25 years and represent around 40 per cent of the overall project cost.

Jonathan Taylor, European Investment Bank Vice-President, said: “The European Investment Bank is committed to supporting long-term investment that improves education across Europe and in the UK thousands of primary and secondary school pupils, and students in higher and further education have benefited from investment in better facilities and modern learning environments following EIB backed education projects.”
    
So far, 12 new schools in the north east of England, seven new schools in the Home Counties, and 11 new schools in the north west will be rebuilt thanks to the loads.
     
The 12 schools in the north east to receive a share of £46.3 million of loans are Mandale Mill in Stockton on Tees, Hylton Castle Primary and Shiney Row Primary in Sunderland, and Lingey House, Roman Road and Front School Community Primary schools in Gateshead. The six secondary schools are Bedlingtonshire Community High and The Duchess’s Community High schools in Northumberland, Laurence Jackson School in Redcar and Cleveland, Longbenton Community College in North Tyneside and Seaham School of Technology in County Durham.
  
Jonathan Taylor said: “Children in North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, Sunderland, County Durham, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton on Tees will enjoy better schools in the years to come from the new initiative and local construction companies will play a key role in building better schools across the country under the wider Priority School Building Programme.”

Home Counties & North West
The seven schools in the Home Counties that will benefit from £63.3 million EIB loans include five in Hertfordshire, Kings Langley School, Westfield Academy in Watford, Bishop’s Hatfield Girls School, Goffs School in Cheshunt and Longdean School in Hemel Hempstead. Reading Girls School and Stopsley High School in Luton will also be supported under the new initiative.
    
Meanwhile, 11 schools in the north west will receive their share of £50.7m from EIB loans to have their buildings rebuilt. The schools are South Shore Academy in Blackpool, the Deanery Church of England High School in Wigan, Ridgeway High School in Prenton, Blacon High School in Chester and Neston High School. The six primary schools include Hawes Side Primary School in Blackpool, Dee Point Primary School and J.H. Godwin Primary School in Blacon, Bedford Drive Primary School in Birkenhead, Bridge Hall Primary School in Stockport and Plymouth Grove Primary School in Chorlton on Medlock, Manchester.

Further information
tinyurl.com/ptp5za6