I welcome the fact that schools in Colchester will benefit from the £560 million to improve school facilities that was announced today from the Government. In total, it has been confirmed that Colchester schools will receive £954,786 to upgrade and refurbish their buildings.
Schools in our town have been allocated this government investment to expand classrooms, upgrade facilities and improve the education of children across our town. This funding announcement will ensure schools across the whole country have well-maintained facilities to provide students with safe environments that support a high-quality education.
The funding will bring the total allocated to improve the condition of school buildings to £2 billion this year - paving the way for the new transformative ten-year school building programme starting later this year with over £1 billion funding for the first wave of 50 schools.
Today’s funding comes from the £560 million announced by the Prime Minister last month as part of his New Deal for Britain, to help the nation bounce back from coronavirus by investing in infrastructure and skills, and creating jobs. It is in addition to the £1.4 billion of capital funding for 2020-21 already announced in April and is provided through the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF).
This major new investment will ensure our schools and colleges can focus on teaching, with brand new buildings and better facilities so that every child gets the world-class education they deserve.
Schools across the country have played their part in responding to coronavirus, ensuring their doors remained open for the children of essential workers – who have kept the NHS, public services and economy going throughout this crisis. In September, schools across England will safely reopen their doors to all pupils.
Investing in schools and education was a key promise made by the Conservatives during last year’s General Election. The £2 billion allocated to improve our schools this year is on top of a £14 billion injection into the school system over the next three years - recognising the additional work schools will need to do to help students to catch up.