Around 120 schools across England will be rebuilt or remodelled under a £106m investment programme announced by the Government this week. School Standards Minister Estelle Morris said that the money highlighted the Government's continuing commitment to improve working conditions for pupils alongside the drive to raise standards and improve discipline in schools.

Estelle Morris

Speaking at the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers Conference in Jersey, Estelle Morris said that schools in 61 local education authorities will gain from the allocation of £106m from the Targeted Capital Fund.

The Fund supports projects, not funded from other sources, which provide a combination of financial and educational gain. Many of the projects supported include the reconfiguration of schools in areas where school rolls have fallen permanently - achieving savings on the maintenance of buildings no longer appropriate for the numbers of children. More than 80 schools will be substantially improved, and over 45 schools with falling pupil numbers and unsuitable or dilapidated buildings will be closed.

This funding is part of a total £8.5bn of investment in school buildings over the next three years, comprising £7.8bn announced following the Spending Review 2000, plus the new funding announced in the last Budget of £700 m. Capital investment will be £2.2bn in 2001-02, £2.8bn in 2002-03, and £3.5bn in 2003-04.

Ms Morris said: "Improving our school buildings and the classroom environment has been a major challenge over the last 30 years. We have come a long way over the past four years. In 1996-7 under £700m was spent on school buildings. It is £2.2bn this year and by 2003-04 that will rise to £3.5bn. That has meant that 17,000 schools have had essential repairs already. In the next few years we can support 650 new or completely refurbished schools.

"By 2004, schools will also receive directly almost as much capital funding to invest in their buildings as they choose, as the entire capital spending by central government on schools in 1996.
This will mean that schools are better able to maintain and improve their stock from year to year.”

Richard Byatt