Greg Hands MP has been told that four schools in and around Chelsea and Fulham will receive significant investment from Government to rejuvenate their buildings.
On 9 February, the Education Secretary Nicky Morgan unveiled a plan for £6 billion investment in English schools.
Around £2 billion will be invested in rebuilding or refurbishing buildings at 277 schools across England. 260 schools are already benefiting under the first phase of the Government’s flagship Priority School Building Programme (PSPB). The second phase will bring the total number to 537.
Schools, local authorities, academy trusts, and voluntary-aided partnerships have also been allocated £4 billion between 2015 and 2018 to help them improve the condition of schools. This 3-year commitment will not only give those responsible for schools more certainty but – thanks to more accurate targeting – the funding is now being provided where it is needed most according to the size and condition.
Under PSPB, school buildings are being rebuilt faster and cheaper than Labour’s failed Building Schools for the Future (BSF). Under BSF it took 3 years for construction work to begin. This was slashed to 1 year for PSPB, with projects costing around a third less. Significant work on projects is already underway. As of January, 16 school buildings were already open, 55 are under construction and remaining projects are well into the development or planning stages.
Local schools that will benefit from the new investment are Fulham College Boys' School, Fulham Cross Girls' School and Language College, and The Bridge AP Academy, all in Hammersmith and Fulham; and The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial RC School in Kensington and Chelsea.
MP for Chelsea and Fulham, Greg Hands said: “I am delighted by the announcement this week from the Government for £6 billion worth of investment to improve the standard of buildings in 277 schools across England.
“This is fantastic news for all the teachers, pupils and parents at these four schools, who live across all parts of my constituency. This investment will help ensure all children no matter what their background is, or where they live, have access to the best possible schools and will help transform the learning environment for tens of thousands of pupils and their teacher.
“We are building or improving the condition of twice as many schools as the previous Government. Coming on top of building work undertaken by local authorities, the Conservatives are delivering central government’s biggest contribution to the school estate in decades.”
Conservative Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: “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 and transform the learning environment for tens of thousands of pupils and their teachers – all while providing value for money for the taxpayer.
“We’re also making sure, for the first time, that every local area can benefit from more funding certainty, so that local councils, academy trusts and voluntary-aided partnerships can plan ahead and make the right investments that will deliver the best possible value for their schools.”