Nottinghamshire school buildings most in need of improvement to see £8.6m investment

The latest programme of school infrastructure improvements across the county, worth £8.6m, has been unveiled.

The investment is part of the Nottinghamshire County Council’s annual school building improvement work which will be designed and delivered by Arc Partnership, a joint venture between the council and SCAPE.

A dozen schools will benefit from a range of improvements, dependent on the needs for each school. The works will include roof replacements, drainage improvements as well as energy-efficient lighting and boiler upgrades.

Maun Infant and Nursery School, in New Ollerton, is one such school to benefit, and £135,000 worth of work will help improve parts of an old drainage system plus replace internal rainwater pipes.

Cabinet member for economic development and asset management, Keith Girling, said: “Investing in our schools’ infrastructure is vital. Young people deserve to study and learn in buildings which are fit-for-purpose.

“We know that some schools were impacted by flooding earlier this year, so those schools most in need of improvements to their drainage systems are being prioritised. We have also secured some government money to help towards this work.

“This latest programme of work will once again help school buildings be more energy efficient and help save on bills. It is all part of a long-term investment plan which has seen various improvements to 67 school buildings since 2021.

“Once again, the vast majority of this work will be carried out by local contractors, which is good news for the local economy.”

Sam Smith, cabinet member for education and SEND, alongside the council leader Ben Bradley, recently wrote to the Department for Education to get reassurance of its commitment to fund the council’s school rebuilding programme.

He said: “This annual programme to improve school buildings is an important investment in our children’s future.”

While the council has a duty to maintain school infrastructure, the day-to-day maintenance tasks are the responsibility of the respective schools. This collaborative approach helps to ensure that schools can address immediate maintenance needs and allow the council to focus on larger infrastructure projects and improvements.