School’s ‘delight’ at revamp cash (From York Press)
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School’s ‘delight’ at revamp cash
8:56am Saturday 26th May 2012 in News
By Richard Catton, richard.catton@thepress.co.uk
THE head teacher of one of two York schools which could be rebuilt thanks to a huge Government grant has spoken of her delight at being selected.
Lord Deramore’s Primary in Heslington and Carr Infants in Acomb have both had bids accepted for a share of the £2 billion Priority School Building Programme, which will be used to carry out major repairs or build new homes for 261 schools nationwide.
Sheena Powley, head teacher at Lord Deramore’s, said: “We are delighted with the news we are to be one of the two schools in York to be successful with a bid. The school has been in need of repair for the past decade, so we look forward to the opportunity to a more flexible working space, which has been part of the school’s improvement plan.
The next stage of the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) will see the two primary schools waiting to hear what plans are proposed for them under the scheme, following talks with City of York Council.
Meanwhile, one North Yorkshire School has learned it is to be completely rebuilt thanks to the programme.
Harrogate High School is the only one in the North Yorkshire County Council education authority area to benefit from the scheme.
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP, Andrew Jones said: “It is good to see that even though money is hard to come by at the moment, what is available is being channelled into the right places.
“This significant investment in children’s education is a real investment in our future, and Harrogate High has been in need of serious building work for some time.”
Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, said: “In order to ensure that the process was robust and fair, a qualified surveyor has visited every school for which an eligible application was received to verify the condition of the buildings.
“This was necessary to make sure the schools being taken forward are those with the greatest overall need.”
