Cambridgeshire schools to share £28m revamp funding

Schools in Cambridgeshire have been given a total of £28m to pay for improvements to buildings, despite the scrapping of a government scheme.

Sir Harry Smith Community College, Whittlesey, Cromwell Community College in Chatteris and Meadowgate in Wisbech are to benefit.

Money had been promised under Building Schools for the Future (BSF), which was stopped by the government in July.

The county council said the new funding was from the Department for Education.

The Labour government had pledged to improve every secondary school in England under BSF, but this was later dropped by the coalition government.

The county council said it had worked with the schools and private sector partners to identify a package of savings as part of a deal to secure the funding.

The funding is about 20% less than what was originally expected under the BSF programme, but the county council had feared a 40% cut.

'Good result'

Councillor Martin Curtis, cabinet member for children at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: "Any reduction in BSF funding for these schools is disappointing.

"However, by taking a pragmatic approach to identifying savings where we can we have been able to secure the majority of the funding for these schemes.

"This is still a significant amount of money and overall I believe this is a good result for Fenland."

Building work is due to being in the next financial year.

Funding for the Fenland Junction Pupil Referral Unit in March is still to be confirmed, the council added.

BSF-funded construction has begun at Neale-Wade Community College in March and Thomas Clarkson Community College in Wisbech.

Both schools obtained the money before the scheme ended.