Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

[Mrs Maria Miller in the Chair]

22 March 2022 · 8 other contributors · 11,544 words

Opened by Mary Foy Lab City of Durham

Responding minister: Michelle Donelan

Education

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Mary Foy raised concerns about [mrs maria miller in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Framwellgate School was approved for a rebuild in 2009 but plans were scrapped under the coalition Government.
  • There are concerns about transparency in funding allocation and joined-up processes between maintenance and rebuild programs.
  • The Minister detailed the government's school rebuilding programme with 11.3 billion allocated since 2015.

Key requests to Government

The Government should ensure that Framwellgate School and other similarly needy schools receive rebuilding support. They must address transparency issues, join up processes for maintenance and rebuilds, and incorporate community needs and pandemic learnings into school designs.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Mary Foy Lab City of Durham

Framwellgate School in City of Durham was approved for a rebuild by the previous Labour Government in 2009 but plans were scrapped under the coalition Government. Despite being overdue, it has been overlooked for two rounds of funding. The school is too small, spread across multiple blocks with no social space and poor disabled access. Other schools like St Leonard's are also in desperate need. There are concerns about transparency in how funding is awarded, lack of joined-up processes between maintenance funds and rebuilds, and insufficient scope for schools to input into the design.

Other contributors (8)
  • Carla Lockhart DUP Upper Bann

    I commend and congratulate the DUP Education Minister in Northern Ireland, Michelle McIlveen, on her announcement of £749 million for over 20 schools. A school in my constituency faces imminent closure, which I oppose. If there is learning here in GB about the importance of schools being central to their communities, will it be shared with me? Will she also ensure that the Lurgan campus of the senior high school does not close?

  • Catherine West Lab Hornsey and Friern Barnet

    Catherine West highlighted the poor conditions of Highgate Wood School's sports hall, which she described as 'Dickensian' with inadequate facilities for girls. She also praised the school's commitment to taking on challenging students and its role in providing PE teacher training despite its dilapidated infrastructure. Ms West intervened to agree that the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme was one of the worst decisions made by the Government, citing a press interview with the Secretary of State. Did the consultation give any weighting to schools that have been particularly generous in taking children in response to unexpected demand? Some schools face bulge classes, affecting sports provision for a larger number of students. Has any weighting been given to the fact that some schools are more generous than others?

  • James Daly Con Bury North

    James Daly spoke about Derby High School in his constituency, highlighting the dilapidated state of its facilities and the impact on students' learning. He emphasized the importance of investment to enable the school to inspire and achieve potential for young people.

  • Katherine Fletcher Lab Lancaster and Fleetwood

    Ms Fletcher thanked the Minister for allocating £50 million to Tarleton Academy in west Lancashire, which is using funds to rebuild its school. She highlighted issues faced by the school due to outdated buildings and praised the efforts of the executive head and her team. Ms Fletcher also raised concerns about sports facilities and community use, mentioning a lack of nearby sports pitches and advocating for shared 3G astroturf pitches with local clubs. She inquired about improving sports facilities at Penwortham Girls' High School.

  • Mike Amesbury Lab Wirral West

    My hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. The Levelling Up Secretary of State, who is also the Education Secretary, vandalised schools by cancelling the Building Schools for the Future programme. This was described as levelling down at its worst. He made a plea for County High School in Leftwich, which needs community sports facilities. He requested a meeting with the Minister to move forward on this project.

  • Peter Gibson Con Darlington

    The Government are committed to improving school buildings and the educational environment, with a focus on delivering value for money. Peter Gibson highlighted the issues faced by schools built under Private Finance Initiative contracts and welcomed the Prime Minister's 10-year school rebuilding programme, which includes £2 billion of investment. He also mentioned that more than £4 million has been invested in Darlington schools and over £10 million for sports facilities nationwide.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    She highlighted the need for capital investment in schools like Tang Hall Primary Academy and Carr Junior School, which suffer from poor infrastructure. Rachael specifically mentioned All Saints Roman Catholic School's outdated facilities, including falling masonry and inadequate heating systems, making it unsafe and unsuitable for learning. I raised the issue of safeguarding in relation to All Saints School and the fact that there is public access to the grounds. How are such issues taken into account when considering priorities?

  • Stephen Morgan Lab Portsmouth South

    He expressed concern over the decay of school estates across England, highlighting that one in six schools require urgent repair and more than 1,000 are at risk of urgent failure. He criticised the Government for cancelling the Building Schools for the Future programme in 2010 and pointed out that even with the current rebuilding programme, there is a shortfall of 178 schools compared to the original target.

Government Response

Michelle Donelan

Echored the debate, congratulated the hon. Member for City of Durham on securing it, acknowledged challenges raised by MPs, and detailed the government's school rebuilding programme with £11.3 billion allocated since 2015 to maintain and improve conditions. Discussed prioritisation criteria, ongoing consultations, and plans to select schools for up to 300 remaining places in the current round.

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