Government Investing in School Buildings for more Places
“Government’s drive to create more than 600,000 extra school places by 2021”
Government figures show there is a need to provide more than 230,000 extra primary and secondary school places between 2017 and 2020. so, the Government made a series of announcements in April that suggests education may be high on their agenda for the forthcoming general election.
The first announcement was for plans to increase permitted development rights for school buildings as part of the Housing and Planning Act in 2016.
The most recent was the new Free Schools given the go ahead to provide over fifteen thousand new spaces in the South East. But the most significant was the intention to upgrade school buildings to provide more spaces.
But the biggest was to announce new funding. Schools across England will receive £2.4bn for building upgrades for new places as part of more than £24bn the government has committed to investing in the school estate over the next five years.
Schools, local authorities and academy trusts will receive a share of over £1.4bn to invest in upgrading or improving their school buildings.
Councils are expected to create 60,000 school places from a £980m investment in 2019-20.
Academies and sixth form colleges will get £466m to pay for 1school building work projects.
“This £2.4bn investment, together with our proposals to create more good school places, will help ensure every young person has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.”
Justine Greening, Education Secretary.