The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, announced which schools will have their “condition needs addressed” through the Priority School Building Programme.
Nationally, 261 schools out of the 587 that applied will be rebuilt or refurbished under the £2billion PFI scheme. In the North East the following 28 schools have been successful in their application:
Durham
- Durham Trinity School and Sports College *
- King James I Academy Bishop Auckland
- Seaham School of Technology
- St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School
- West Cornforth Primary School *
Gateshead
- Charles Thorp Comprehensive School
- Front Street Community Primary School
- Hill Top School *
- Lingey House Primary School
- Roman Road Primary School
North Tyneside
- John Spence Community High School
- Longbenton Community College
- Marden High School
- Whitehouse Primary School
Northumberland
- Bedlingtonshire Community High School
- Prudhoe Community High School
- The Duchess’s Community High School
Redcar and Cleveland
- Handale Primary School
- Laurence Jackson School
Stockton-on-Tees
- Grangefield School
- Ian Ramsey C of E Aided Comprehensive School *
- Mandale Mill Primary School
- St Michael’s Roman Catholic School
Sunderland
- Hetton School
- Hylton Castle Primary School
- Shiney Row Primary School
- St Anthony’s Catholic Girls’ Academy
- Usworth Grange Primary School *
Key: *Indicates that the school will have its condition need met using capital grant.
The list confirms the schools that will have their condition needs met. Schools that applied but are not listed above have not been prioritised for the programme.
In his statement, Gove said:
"In tackling the challenges we face on school building I have been determined to use the capital funding at my disposal to best effect, seeking value for money and efficiency from every pound spent. Sebastian James’ review of capital recommended a complete overhaul of the system for allocating capital investment so that we can focus on the repair and refurbishment of schools in the greatest need alongside meeting the pressure for new, good school places….
I know that many schools will be disappointed not to be included in the programme. We have had to take difficult decisions in order to target spending on those schools that are in the worst condition. In order to ensure that the process was robust and fair, a qualified surveyor has visited every school for which an eligible application was received to verify the condition of the buildings. This was necessary to make sure the schools being taken forward are those with the greatest overall condition need.”
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