Millions to be invested in school works

MONEY WILL BE SPENT ON PREPARING FOR LARGER INFLUXES AND REPAIRS

EIGHT South Derbyshire schools are getting hundreds of thousands of pounds for major expansions.

Housing developers building thousands of homes in the district have provided £4.7 million to allow the schools to cater for an influx of pupils as part of planning agreements.

The Government has also provided £15 million for some schools to undertake repairs and extensions.

A total of £12 million from housing developers has been gathered for expansions at John Port Academy, in Etwall.

Derbyshire’s largest secondary school will expand to a capacity of 2,500 students through a number of extensions.

The first expansion to be directly funded by housing developers will be £1.7 million for a two-storey sixth form extension, with additional seminar rooms, study areas and social space.

John Port has been the subject of so many housing developer contributions due to its dominance of secondary education in the area.

Derbyshire County Council, which has gathered the funds from housing developers, said it must grant the funds to John Port so as not to “fail in its statutory duty to supply sufficient school places” with “no other secondary and post 16 places available in the area”.

Further funds totalling £3 million from housing developers has been directed to another eight Derbyshire schools, sourced from 18 approved homes schemes.

These schools and expansions are as follows:

■ William Allitt School in Newhall is getting £485,000 towards a threeclassroom extension

■ Eureka Primary

School in Midway, Swadlincote, is getting £303,000 towards a threeclassroom extension

■ Etwall Primary School is getting £46,000 towards a two-classroom extension

Meanwhile, the county council is also dispersing nearly £15 million in Government grants to dozens of schools across Derbyshire for both extensions and repairs.

This includes:

■ Belmont Primary School (foundation site), Swadlincote - £157,000 towards new heating pipework and radiator works

■ Chapel-en-le-frith Primary School - £62,000 towards a classroom extension and a new boiler ■ Coton-in-the-elms Primary School - £120,750 towards the replacement of drains and playground resurfacing

■ Etwall Primary School £17,100 towards two new classrooms

■ Findern Community Primary School - £300,000 towards a new sewage plant system

■ Linton Primary School £138,000 towards an electrical rewire.

The John Port Academy has received the largest share of the funding.

Belmont Primary School will receive £157,000

The William Allitt School will get £485,000