PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Priority School Building Programme (13 April 2017)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to rebuild schools which were due for rebuilding under the Building Schools for the Future programme as part of the Priority Schools Building programme.

Asked by:
Rachael Maskell (Labour)

The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) is spending £4.4 billion on rebuilding or refurbishing those buildings in the worst condition at 537 schools across England.

The investment is being targeted more effectively than before, with investment decisions based on a comprehensive picture of the needs of the school estate. In doing so we are maximising the impact of every pound of taxpayers’ money.

Under PSBP, timescales to start building works have been cut by up to two years and the average cost is a third less than under Building Schools for the Future (BSF).

All schools, including those that were due for rebuilding under BSF, were invited to apply to the PSBP. Successful schools were prioritised for the programme based on their condition need.

The vast majority of schools within the first phase of the programme will be delivered by the end of 2017, two years earlier than originally planned.

Answered by:
Nick Gibb (Conservative)
24 April 2017