10 October 2007

Funding settlement to continue the biggest school building programme for generations

Secretary of State Ed Balls and Schools Minister Jim Knight today announced £21.9 billion of capital investment allocations to local authorities to raise standards with state-of-the-art classroom, arts, sports and ICT facilities over the next three years.

They confirmed the sustained capital funding for all local authorities in England as the biggest for generations - and said every single primary, secondary, academy and special school in England would benefit from the settlement for 2008 to 2011.

Local authority allocations were announced in Parliament today. The national figures were confirmed last month, with an additional £200 million for investment in the Primary Capital Programme announced by the Chancellor in yesterday's Pre Budget Report.

Annual capital investment will rise to £8.2 billion in 2011 - a seven-fold real terms increase since 1997, when annual capital spending was under £700 million. Already 1100 new schools have been built and 27,000 classrooms built or improved, with a further 180 newly built or rebuilt schools due to open this financial year - but today's settlement enables local authorities to go much further.

Ed Balls said:

"This is another major step forward in creating twenty-first century facilities fit for twenty-first century education in every school.

"Having top-quality facilities is a key part of the Government's long-term strategy to have a world-class education system.

"Ten years ago, classrooms and facilities were in a dire state as decades of underinvestment let down generation after generation of young people and teachers.

"Today, schools are being revolutionised by the biggest sustained investment for 50 years. Hundreds of new cutting-edge schools and facilities are now opening across the country year after year and today's announcement will expand further on this.

"Top-class and well-designed facilities are central to raising standards and helping teachers inspire our young people. Every child and community should have high quality classrooms and cutting-edge ICT, music and sports facilities."

Today's local authority settlement includes £1.9 billion to kick start the Primary Capital Programme next year. The programme will rebuild, remodel and refurbish at least half of all primary and primary-age special schools - and this funding settlement will be invested in least 675 primary school building projects over the next three years.

It includes a further £750 million - including £200m new capital investment, together with further funding of £550m available within the existing DCSF settlement - announced by the Chancellor yesterday to accelerate the scheme.

This extra funding cuts the original 15-year-old timescale by one year subject to future spending decisions.

The settlement gives £9.3 billion over the next three years for the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme to rebuild and refurbish secondary schools and continue to build academies. Over 1000 schools are already involved - with momentum building so that by 2011, at least 200 newly built or rebuilt schools will be opening a year.

The settlement includes £837million top-class ICT in schools to give young people their own online learning spaces and engage parents better in their children's education - including £603 million for every school and local authority in England through the Harnessing Technology Grant.

The funding settlement also targets £2.93 billion direct to all local authority maintained schools through Devolved Formula Capital funding over the next three years - giving a typical unmodernised primary school of 250 pupils £34,000 a year and a typical unmodernised secondary school of 1000 pupils, £113,000. Primary schools newly built; rebuilt or more than 80% refurbished in the last 10 years will get £17,000 a year and secondary schools will get £56,000 to maintain them properly.

Other funding will:

- expand successful schools;
- turn around underperforming schools;
- modernise school kitchens;
- target deprived communities;
- invest additional funding to local authorities not yet in BSF; and
- give headteachers and local authorities the resources to address the key concerns of their communities.

Jim Knight added:

"We've made significant progress and are now focusing on transforming primary schools - just as we're doing on secondary schools. Giving a quality education for younger children now is vital to developing the motivated and high performing students of tomorrow.

"This is a good and fair settlement which will give headteachers and local authorities the resources to change the lives of their young people and the education they provide."

The overall settlement sees £6.669million invested in 2008-09; £7.024million in 2009-10 and £8.235million in 2010-11. The national funding figures were announced earlier this month.

Editor's Notes

This press notice relates to 'England'

1. Key capital programmes between 2008 to 2011 being announced today include:

- Primary Capital Programme: the programme will build, rebuild or refurbish at least half of England's 18,000 primary schools - to create state-of-the-art schools, at the heart of their communities - so that every child and family has access to year-round extended childcare; parenting support, after schools activities; and access to ICT, sports and arts facilities:

o In 2008-09, 23 pilot local authorities will get £6.5million each to revamp at least one primary school - £150million in total;

o In 2009-10, all local authorities will share £650 million and in 2010-11, all local authorities will share £1.1billion - these figures include an extra £150 million in 2009-10 and £600 million in 2010-11 announced by the Chancellor yesterday in the Pre Budget Report.

- Building Schools for the Future: The secondary school and academy building programme will get a £9.3 billion funding over the next three years. BSF will rebuilt and refurbished every single secondary school and academy in England. The first BSF school opened last month, around a dozen will be open by next April; at least a further 50 in 2008-09; a further 115 in 2009-10; a further 165 in 2010-11 and after 2011, 200 revamped secondary schools will be opening every year - on top of the 252 secondaries and academies built, rebuilt or fully revamped since 1997.

- Funding direct to every local authority and school to target local needs and priorities, including:

o Schools:

 £2.93 billion over the next three years given direct to local authority maintained schools for building projects through Devolved Formula Capital funding;

 £654million direct to voluntary aided schools;

 £60 million to help schools develop eco-friendly sustainable travel plans;

 £50 million for specialist schools.

It will mean a typical unmodernised primary school of 250 pupils £34,000 a year and a typical unmodernised secondary school of 1000 pupils will receive £113,000. Primary schools newly built; rebuilt or more than 80% refurbished in the last 10 years will get £17,000 a year and secondary schools will get £56,000 to maintain them properly.

o Local authorities:

 £1.54 billion for modernising schools;

 £1.2 billion to expand successful schools and deal with surplus places;

 £603million to make high quality ICT the norm across the system through the Harnessing Technology Grant;

 £288 million for schools access projects;

 £219 million for extended schools given direct to local authorities.

- Targeted Capital Fund for specific national priorities including:

o £150 million for schools which have poor quality or no kitchens to build modern catering facilities;

o £327 million to expand popular and successful schools; Fresh Start projects for failing schools; schemes to encourage new school promoters, including parents; and setting up trusts and federations between successful and weaker schools;

o £608 million - £8million each - for 76 local authorities yet to be involved in Building Schools for the Future to improve diploma provision for 14-19 year olds; improving facilities for young people with Special Educational Needs; and improved kitchens and dining rooms in secondary schools;

o £300million to the Learning and Skills Council's Post-16 Fund, which provides new places for 16 to 19-year-olds including school sixth-form, sixth form centre or further education colleges

- Other programmes include: modernisation; basic need; schools access; investment in for specialist school and sustainable transport programmes.

2. Local authority allocations are available at:

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/resourcesfinanceandbuilding/capitalinvestment/

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/resourcesfinanceandbuilding/capitalinvestment/allocations/summaryreports/

Contact Details

Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk

Press Notice 2007/0185