Wiltshire schools to get multi-million pound maintenance boost
£8m is to be invested by Wiltshire Council over the next four years
A multi-million pound investment in maintaining school buildings in Wiltshire has been agreed by the Council.
£8m is being pumped into ensuring safe and inspiring learning spaces for our children and young people.
The council agreed on the extra funding at a cabinet meeting last week.
Greatest Hits Radio spoke to Cllr Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, who said ensuring school buildings are in good condition is a priority for the council.
"We absolutely believe that being in the right environment helps learning and we think every child has that right to be in an environment where you know the buildings are in good condition that the space for them to learn that they're modern buildings that are right up there as far as education is concerned."
Covid made everyone realise educations value
Cllr Mayes told us that the Covid pandemic highlighted the importance of the school environment.
She says the Council want to ensure every child gets the education they deserve, in buildings that facilitate that.
"We all take it for granted that every child goes to school and receives an education, and I think there was nothing like that pause to make everyone realize quite how valuable education is.
"It's reading and writing and all the things that you learn, but it's the social environment, where you can make friends and learn new hobbies.
"If we don't get that right, we're in real trouble," Cllr Mayes said.
Topping up Government funding
The council receives annual funding from the Department for Education (DfE) to new spaces and maintenance relating to urgent and essential works to structures, including roofs, walls and windows, as well as planting electrical and mechanical works.
And this extra funding is a top up to what's coming from Government.
"We are constantly reviewing the state of our educational buildings and to us, this is part of a fundamental investment that we need to make in our children's futures, so we make decisions that are long term and for the future."
And since February 2020, the council has committed to £1m across a decade to support pupils with disabilities being admitted into schools. It funds accessibility needs such as ramps and handrails to support school inclusion.
Responding to the needs of the county
The funding underlines the council's commitment to supporting the pupils of Wiltshire's schools.
Where possible, the council secures S106 developer contributions and looks for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) planning obligations for essential school infrastructure in areas of new housing development.
A trio of projects to provide additional school places have been completed in the last year at The Clarendon Academy, Bishops Cannings Church of England Primary School and Forest and Sandridge Church of England Primary School, while two further projects are in progress at Porton St Nicholas Primary School and St Peter’s Primary CE Primary Academy in Salisbury.
Porton St Nicholas is seeing a couple of classes being expanded, while four classrooms at St Peter's Primary are being added.
"We know we need to do that because there's more housing going on nearby and there are more children coming through," Cllr Mayes said, adding: "It's very important to us that we, again I always talk about looking into the future.
"But we know what our birth rates are, we know where our building works going to be happening, so we know how many places are needed across the county."
Expansion plans at Kingdown School and Abbeyfield School are awaiting consent while feasibility work is beginning on the expansion of Sarum Academy.