Education and employment secretary David Blunkett yesterday announced that 650 schools are to be either completely rebuilt or refurbished over the next three years in a £4bn modernisation programme, which will provide a boost to building contractors and FM companies. Another thousand more are to get new classrooms, new roofs, new science labs or new heating systems.

The £4bn investment is part of a £7.8bn three year programme. Blunkett said this is additional to the £5.4bn already allocated since 1997, as part of the biggest school building and repair programme in decades.

The money allocated will see 650 schools replaced or completely refurbished, 7,000 schools repaired and improved and 24,000 schools get a share of almost £1bn of direct capital grant.

Blunkett said: "This huge extra investment is further evidence of our determination to improve school standards - ensuring that children learn in decent, warm and well-equipped classrooms. Getting the basics right is not just about literacy and numeracy - it also means putting the right facilities in place so that teachers can teach and children can learn.”

He concluded: "Today's allocations will mean we can make even more rapid progress in wiping out the worst of the backlog of repairs and maintenance work left by two decades of neglect as well as accelerating a modernisation programme to build schools fit for the 21st century."

Jessica Jarlvi