Teesside schools are to receive a share of £4.7m of Condition Improvement Fund for the Northeast, as part of Labour’s Plan for Change. This investment, part of £470m nationally, will see classrooms and school facilities across Teesside upgraded to be safe and warm, including projects at Kilton Thorpe Specialist Academy, and Prior Pursglove College. 

Luke Myer, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, said:
“Parents across our area remember the terror of the RAAC crisis, the fear that children were no longer safe in their own school because of years of Tory neglect. Labour is turning the page, literally fixing the foundations of our schools so children can learn and thrive. With free breakfasts, cheaper uniforms and now safer classrooms, we are making sure every child gets the best start.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
“The defining image of the school estate under the previous government was children sitting under steel props to stop crumbling concrete falling on their heads. It simply isn’t good enough.
Parents expect their children to learn in a safe warm environment. It’s what children deserve, and it is what we are delivering.”

Labour’s investment will deliver energy-efficient, fit-for-purpose buildings that not only support learning but show children their futures matter. A further £1.4 billion will also support the acceleration of the School Rebuilding Programme, with 100 new school projects starting this year alone.

Works will begin this summer, ensuring local schools are ready to welcome pupils back into safer, stronger facilities by 2026.

References:

• The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is an annual capital programme run by the Department for Education. It helps eligible academies, sixth-form colleges and VA schools to address urgent building issues and expand where needed.
  More info: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund
• The North East Regional allocation of CIF is £4.7m