Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

School Building Programmes

Monday 10 March 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • School building programmes are receiving significant investment in Calder Valley, involving the reconstruction of eleven schools.
  • The Minister expressed delight over the school rebuilding programme's impact in Calder Valley.
  • The Minister stated that ensuring schools have necessary resources and buildings is key to breaking down barriers to opportunity.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Josh Fenton-Glynn Lab Calder Valley
Education
Context

The current school rebuilding programme is investing £1.4 billion in 2025/26 for the reconstruction or significant refurbishment of buildings at 518 schools and sixth form colleges across England.

Question

What recent progress has been made on school building programmes? Cross Lane primary school, Shade primary school, Brooksbank school, Calder high school, Todmorden high school and Walsden Saint Peter’s Church of England primary school are among 11 Calder Valley schools to be rebuilt under this Government. Will the Minister confirm that no children will be left learning in classrooms that are not fit for purpose?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)

Along with my hon. Friend, I am delighted that so many schools in his constituency are receiving significant investment through the school rebuilding programme. Ensuring that schools and colleges have the resources and buildings that they need is a key part of our plan to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure that every child gets the best start in life.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not confirm explicitly that no children will be left learning in classrooms unfit for purpose, instead reiterating commitment to school resources and opportunities.

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Q2 Graham Stuart Con Beverley and Holderness
Education
Context

The previous Labour Government's Building Schools for the Future initiative spent £55 billion on buildings and IT, which was considered ineffective in transforming education.

Question

Can the Minister reassure the House that we will never have a repeat of the Building Schools for the Future programme, ensuring we have functional schools with brilliant teachers?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Stephen Morgan)

Ensuring that schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is key to our mission to break down barriers to opportunity. I will take no lectures from the Conservative party on education.

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the specific request about avoiding a repeat of the Building Schools for the Future programme or ensuring functional schools with excellent teachers, instead focusing on criticism of the opposition's credibility.

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