Latest round of School Rebuilding Programme funding announced

The government has announced £1bn of funding for 61 projects in the latest round of the School Rebuilding Programme.

Eleven schools in the North West, ten in the North East and six in Yorkshire and the Humber will be built. See the full list of projects here.

Launched in 2020, The School Rebuilding Programme commits to replace or refurbish buildings at 500 schools over the next decade. The 61 projects announced brings the total number in the programme to 222.

The announcement came via James Cleverley, who was appointed Education Secretary following the farcical wave of ministerial resignations which caused the current Conservative leadership contest. Former Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi (currently Chancellor) resigned, which led to Michelle Donelan's appointment, which lasted just two days.

Cleverley said: "Our School Rebuilding Programme is already making a difference to the lives of pupils and their teachers. It is creating greener school sites that are fit for the future and that local communities can be proud of. We know how important it is to have high-quality school facilities. That is why we continue to invest billions in our rebuilding programme."

However, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the school leaders union NAHT, said the plans lacked ambition and funds. He told tes.com:

“The School Rebuilding Programme is clearly lacking in both funds and ambition - the programme will only support 500 projects over a decade, just over 2 per cent of schools.

“With soaring gas and electricity prices crippling many school budgets, we need a far more ambitious and better funded programme to ensure that all our schools are fit for purpose.”