Funding boost to help school building repairs

Education Secretary Justine Greening will help to create almost 20,000 more places in the region by 2020.

It is part of £230m package the Government has committed to investing in the county’s school estate over the next three years.

The funding allocated includes £55m for Yorkshire’s schools to invest in upgrading their buildings and gives the go-ahead to 141 vital school building work projects - from roof repairs and kitchen refurbishments to new heating and windows.

In Calderdale Lightcliffe Academy; St John’s Primary School at Rishworth and The Crossley Heath School, Halifax, will benefit from repairs and refurbishment.

Education Secretary Justine Greening said: “Our Plan for Britain is to build a fairer society, with a good school place available for every child.

“This investment of £159 million in the Yorkshire and the Humber, together with our proposals to create more good school places, will help ensure every young person in the region has the opportunity to fulfill their potential.”

Nationally the Government has announced a funding boost of £2.4bn to create new school places and maintain and improve the condition of school buildings.

The allocation of funds for school places and buildings is not new money, but draws upon funding from the 2015 spending review. There will be £980m for extra school places and £1.4bn to improve the condition of schools, with 1,500 school building projects to be funded across the country.