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- Primary schools to benefit from £8.3m cash boost
Primary schools to benefit from £8.3m cash boost
- By Chief Editor
- Published 27 Mar 2009
- Herefordshire
- Unrated
Herefordshire's primary schools are to benefit from a financial boost worth £8.3million thanks to the council successfully revising and resubmitting its Primary Strategy for Change to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
The National Primary Strategy for Change programme is designed to rebuild, remodel or refurbish about half of primary schools across the country over the next 14 years. Like many other authorities in the country, Herefordshire Council submitted a strategy in July 2008 but was told more work needed to be done before the strategy could be approved. The council worked hard during December 2008 and January 2009 to improve its strategy which was resubmitted in January 2009.
The DCSF has approved the revised strategy this week and as a result, £8.3m will be released to Herefordshire over the next two years with further funding to follow. Most of the funding will be used to create a new primary school in Leominster, by merging the existing infant and junior schools. There will also be a
fund available to support small schemes that meet the Primary Strategy for Change criteria. This will enable other primary schools in the county to benefit from the strategy as well and over the next few weeks they will be invited to bid for some of the cash.
Cllr Philip Price, cabinet member for ICT, education and achievement, said: “This is really good news for children and young people in Herefordshire, and for the schools that educate and support them.
“The revised strategy had to respond to a number of issues such as how the council will support world class standards in our schools, how links will be made between schools and early years settings, how we intend to address deprivation and how we can make sure all schools benefit from good quality ICT both within the communities and in the classroom.
“I am delighted to learn that children’s services officers have managed to address these issues in their revised strategy and that so many schools will benefit as a result.”
The next step will be for the local authority to begin working with Leominster Infant and Junior schools to agree a way forward for the two schools to come together.
The National Primary Strategy for Change programme is designed to rebuild, remodel or refurbish about half of primary schools across the country over the next 14 years. Like many other authorities in the country, Herefordshire Council submitted a strategy in July 2008 but was told more work needed to be done before the strategy could be approved. The council worked hard during December 2008 and January 2009 to improve its strategy which was resubmitted in January 2009.
The DCSF has approved the revised strategy this week and as a result, £8.3m will be released to Herefordshire over the next two years with further funding to follow. Most of the funding will be used to create a new primary school in Leominster, by merging the existing infant and junior schools. There will also be a
Cllr Philip Price, cabinet member for ICT, education and achievement, said: “This is really good news for children and young people in Herefordshire, and for the schools that educate and support them.
“The revised strategy had to respond to a number of issues such as how the council will support world class standards in our schools, how links will be made between schools and early years settings, how we intend to address deprivation and how we can make sure all schools benefit from good quality ICT both within the communities and in the classroom.
“I am delighted to learn that children’s services officers have managed to address these issues in their revised strategy and that so many schools will benefit as a result.”
The next step will be for the local authority to begin working with Leominster Infant and Junior schools to agree a way forward for the two schools to come together.