The extra funding has been made available under the second phase of the Government’s Priority for School Building Programme (PSBP), set-up last year to address the condition of schools that have fallen into a state of disrepair.
In 2013, £2.4 bn was allocated to the programme, which replaced the previous Government’s Building Schools for the Future programme, to rebuild 261 of schools in the worst condition.
Today the first school - Whitmore Park Primary School in Coventry, which was re-built with funding from the first round of the PSBP, opened to pupils.
The £5 million project comprises a new build primary school for 630 pupils and a 39-place nursery.
Schools Minister David Laws said, ‘The opening of Whitmore Park marks a major milestone in the Priority School Building Programme, which is making great strides in ensuring that vital building work takes place at some of the schools in the worst state across the country.
‘It is providing much better value for money than previous school building schemes, and forms part of the government’s drive to deliver the best schools for young people in order to help deliver both a stronger economy and a fairer society.’