First Announcement of New Education Secretary

Sixty-one schools across the country are set to receive state of the art rebuilds or refurbishments that will transform education for their pupils.

In his first announcement as Education Secretary, James Cleverly confirmed the investment to provide thousands of children access to new, modern classrooms as part of the Prime Minister’s flagship School Rebuilding Programme.

The projects will be backed by over £1bn of funding.

Work to deliver the projects will start immediately. It will include updating and modernising buildings, and creating state of the art facilities such as new sports halls, music rooms, science labs and dining areas.

The new school buildings will be net-zero carbon in operation, helping meet the Government’s net-zero target.

The schools in this round include primary, secondary and special schools, with 11 in the North West, ten in the North East and six in Yorkshire and the Humber, helping level up education for children of all ages and right across the country.

Since 2010, around 500 schools have been refurbished or rebuilt under government programmes.

Education Secretary James Cleverly said:

Our School Rebuilding Programme is already making a difference to the lives of pupils and their teachers. It is creating greener school sites that are fit for the future and that local communities can be proud of.

We know how important it is to have high-quality school facilities. That is why we continue to invest billions in our rebuilding programme.

Headteacher of Framwellgate School Durham, Andy Byers said:

I’m absolutely delighted that Framwellgate School Durham has been chosen to be part of the School Rebuilding Programme.

Our school was designed and built in the 1960s and is old and tired and very poorly designed. With a new building we will be able to give our students facilities and a learning environment which will inspire them, and our staff, in the working environment they deserve.

Schools selected in round one of the programme, such as West Coventry Academy and St John Fisher Catholic High School in Wigan, are benefitting from a full replacement of all their buildings. The work will transform the environment children learn in, including brand new sports facilities enabling more children to take part in physical activity.

The commitment to rebuild and refurbish the schools most in need is part of Government’s wider Schools White Paper commitments, to ensure that by 2030 every child will be taught a broad and ambitious curriculum, with access to high-quality extra-curricular provision, in a school with high expectations and strong standards of behaviour.

To achieve this, staff and pupils need access to top facilities.

Alongside the new rebuilding programme, the Government has committed £1.8 billion in financial year 2022-23 for maintaining and improving the school estate, as part of £13.1 billion allocated since 2015.

The full list of schools can be found here.