West Northamptonshire schools to benefit from share of £450 million school repairs fund
Schools across West Northamptonshire are set to benefit from a share of more than £450 million in government funding aimed at improving school buildings across England.
The Department for Education announced that 684 schools and sixth form colleges nationwide will receive support through the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), which helps schools carry out essential building works including replacing heating systems, repairing roofs and upgrading electrical infrastructure.
Among the West Northamptonshire schools named as successful applicants are Northampton School for Boys, Guilsborough Academy, Hartwell Primary School, Northgate School Academy Trust, Badby School and Kilsby Church of England Primary School.
Although individual funding allocations have not been published, the government said the grants would allow schools to tackle urgent maintenance issues before they become more serious and costly problems.
Schools minister Josh MacAlister said: “Opportunity for our children starts with a great education, and children can only learn well in buildings that are safe, warm and fit for purpose – not classrooms disrupted by leaking roofs, failing boilers and declining buildings.”
He added that the funding formed part of a “longer-term plan” to improve school and college estates across the country.
The government said the CIF programme sits within a wider £2.1 billion package of investment into improving the condition of school buildings this year.
The announcement also forms part of a broader 10-year education estates strategy, which aims to modernise school buildings and ensure pupils can learn in high-quality environments designed to support achievement and wellbeing.