Transformative School Rebuilding Programme

At the end of June, Prime Minster Boris Johnson announced government plans for a ten-year Transformative Rebuilding Programme. The first major programme to be launched since 2014.

The Rebuilding Programme is designed to provide educational establishments with additional investment; schools and colleges will be able to access funding to refurbish their buildings in an attempt to continually raise educational standards across the country.

Although further details of the multi-wave 10-year programme will be set out in the next Spending Review, the Rebuilding Programme will start in the coming academic year with the first 50 projects supported by £1billion+ in funding.

The Rebuilding Programme is part of the PM’s plan to create equal opportunities for all, therefore investment will be targeted at school buildings in the worst conditions. Substantial investment will be made across England, with emphasis in the North and Midlands.

“All children deserve the best possible start in life – regardless of their background or where they live. As we bounce back from the pandemic, it’s important we lay the foundations for a country where everyone has the opportunity to succeed, with our younger generations front and centre of this mission. This major new investment will make sure our schools and colleges are fit for the future, with better facilities and brand new buildings so that every child gets a world-class education.” Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Details of the programme include:

• Eco-friendlier school environments; the rebuilding will help achieve the government’s net zero target
• A focus of modern construction methods in order to create highly skilled jobs, which will in turn aid the construction sector
• £560m for repairs and upgrades in addition to the £1.4bn School Condition Funding for 2020-21
• £200m funding for Further Education Colleges this academic year, which brings forward the five-year investment of £1.5bn to transform colleges

Many other initiatives were announced by the government this year including:

• A competition due to be launched later this year for further funding to create Institutes of Technology across England; ensuring higher technical skills training is available to everyone
• The £1bn Covid-19 catch-up plan to tackle the impact of lost schooling; this included £650m for state schools to increase education outcomes and £350m tutoring scheme for the most disadvantaged