£18M TO SPRUCE UP OUR SCHOOLS
Asbestos removal among work scheme priorities
MORE than £18 million is to be spent on school building improvements across Staffordshire over the next 12 months.
Priorities include removing asbestos from about 30 schools. It follows tests which revealed some primaries still have electrical fuse boxes that contain the potentially dangerous substance.
Children and staff will also benefit from upgrades to unsightly toilets, leaky windows and roofs, along with refurbished classrooms and new energy efficient heating and LED lighting.
And £650,000 has been allocated towards creating ‘resource bases’ in mainstream schools to help pupils with special educational needs. Schools were asked to submit expressions of interest and the applications are now being evaluated.
Some of this new provision is expected to focus on supporting young people with autism or who have social, emotional and mental health needs.
Councillor Jonathan Price, right, cabinet member for education at Staffordshire County Council, said: “It is widely recognised that the quality of school buildings can help or hinder learning and teaching.
“Our capital programme for the next year is designed to ensure we make the most of the funding we have, and work with schools to improve school infrastructure.
“This way, we can ensure the county’s children are learning in the best environment possible.”
The £18.156 million programme depends on Government grants, which have yet to be finalised. The authority has pencilled in £3.9 million of ‘school condition’ funding for maintenance work.
But Staffordshire is not expected to receive any Government cash for extra school places in 2021/22 as the demand is being driven by new housing estates rather than rising birth rates. Housing developers will contribute £4 million to the school projects. Schools will also provide almost £64,000 from their own budgets.
Council officials stressed they will try to get through as many priority projects as funding allows, but there will be a cut-off once the cash is used up. With the asbestos issues, health and safety experts say the material is only a significant risk to health if damaged or disturbed. In many cases, it will be in parts of school buildings not used by pupils.
The council’s cabinet will be asked to approve the 2021/22 school capital programme today.