£9m funding agreed to improve Bromley primary...

Primary schools in need of rebuilding and refurbishment have been allocated a total of £9.3m.

The funding agreed by Bromley Council’s Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People, Councillor Ernest Noad, includes a £2.5m redevelopment of The Highway Primary School, in Orpington. The school will receive replacement teaching wings and an enhanced central area with hall, kitchen, dining and admin accommodation.

20 more schools in the Borough are also set to receive funding between £50,000 and £1m according to their needs between 2009 and 2011 (see notes). The scheme complements the investment in secondary schools already under way in Bromley, with £12.97m targeted at improving the post-16 provision of schools across the Borough between 2009 and 2013.

The investments follow the lobbying of central Government by Bromley Councillors and Officers as well as a consultation with all schools in the Authority. The Council is also bidding to secure further Building Schools for the Future (BSF) funding to help invest more capital as soon as possible to ensure the long-term success of all Bromley schools.

Councilllor Noad said:

“I am pleased to have given the go-ahead to the next step of our extensive programme to secure and enhance the future success of school education across the Borough. We have lobbied long and hard to secure these essential funds. Bromley is a high performing authority with a large number of outstanding schools. In order for us to continue this remarkable level of excellence and innovation among our pupils and their teachers, the buildings in which they study and work must also be maintained. This is spending to save money long-term by avoiding more costly rebuilds if nothing is done in the near future. We know that even more funding will be needed and we are working hard to achieve this.”