Five schools, serving hundreds of children across the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area, will see their sites transformed as part of the Department for Education’s (DfE) School Rebuilding Programme.
Following investment secured by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP), Winchelsea Special School and Somerford Primary have been prioritised for investment in their buildings.
An additional three academies in the area have also secured funding; Highcliffe School, Corfe Hills School and Heathlands Primary Academy. Reflecting their academy status, the respective trusts for these schools submitted their own bids.
The School Rebuilding Programme carries out major rebuilding and refurbishment projects at school and sixth-form college buildings across England, with buildings prioritised according to their condition.
The schools were identified by the DfE from over 1000 nominations received from local councils and academy trusts across England.
Cllr Nicola Greene, Portfolio Holder for Council Priorities and Delivery said: “We strive to ensure that every pupil enjoys going to school and experiences the best setting for their learning. We’ve worked closely with the schools and DfE to identify school accommodation most in need of replacement or major refurbishment.
“Somerford Primary and Winchelsea are important parts of BCP Council's schools offering, so I’m thrilled that the children learning at these will be able to experience their sites transforming over the next few years.
“I’m also delighted that the hundreds of children and young people attending the successful academies will benefit from additional investment that further enhances the quality of their teaching and learning environments. I look forward to seeing all these exciting changes take place.”
Geoff Cherril, headteacher at Winchelsea added: "The whole school community is delighted with this news. The children at Winchelsea School have significant SEND needs and we are all looking forward to being able to meet these needs in a more appropriate environment. We are excited that the inclusion of therapeutic facilities, Post-16 accommodation and more flexible teaching spaces will allow us to continue to develop our whole school provision.As a community, we are extremely pleased that children with SEND are going to benefit from this project."
Helen Frampton, Head Teacher at Somerford said: “We are delighted to have been successful in securing additional funding from this programme. Our children deserve the best learning environment we can offer, and this rebuild project will help us to deliver this. We are excited to work with the DfE to bring our primary school together in one building and offer additional learning experiences for all pupils.”
Schools are provisionally allocated a place on the programme, subject to further due diligence, and projects will enter delivery at a rate of approximately 50 per year.
There are currently 400 projects in the programme.