More than £17 million will be spent on repairs and improvements to Derbyshire schools next year

The county council has revealed details of how it is spending more than £17 million on repairs and improvements to schools around Derbyshire for the next year.
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Funding for these projects comes from central government and has to be spent on these specific uses.

Among this year’s expenditure, Derbyshire County Council is handing out nearly £4.5 million towards building three new schools.

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This includes £1.55 million to build a new primary school in Tibshelf; £1.7 million at Boulton Moor, close to Derby; and £1.1 million for Highfield’s Farm, between Findern and Heatherton.

The funding also sees £50,000 being spent to begin design work for a replacement Newhall Junior School; and £500,000 for essential repairs at William Allitt School – also in Newhall – which its governors say needs to be knocked down and rebuilt for between £17-£25 million.

The county council and the area’s MP Heather Wheeler have been lobbying for funding to allow this.

In May it was revealed by a Derbyshire BBC Local Democracy Reporter Freedom of Information request that there was a £150 million backlog in repairs required for the county council’s schools – but just £9.3 million was coming in from government specifically earmarked for repairs.

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The amount of money being given to the authority annually is falling year-on-year as more county schools convert to academies, which are funded directly by the government.

The authority maintains 326 out of the county’s 416 schools, nurseries and pupil referral units.

There are now 71 academy schools, with a further 19 going through the conversion process.

This year’s funding, allocated by government earlier this year and earmarked by the council this week is split into basic need, buildings at risk and school condition.

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Basic need funding, £7.6 million of which is being spent this year, is used for making sure there is enough space in each of the county’s schools to cater for children in the area – usually spent on building new classrooms.

Buildings at risk money – £2 million this year –  is used to ensure that schools are suitable for use and to tackle serious disrepair – this year’s funding includes £15,000 to demolish “life-expired” buildings at Tupton Primary School.

School condition allowances – £7.4 million this year – are used for overall major and essential maintenance such as window and door replacements, electrical rewiring; and roof repairs – £500,000 is to be spent at Buxton Community School in phase one of its roof replacement.

Here is the recently-released list of the 50 school schemes set to receive money for repairs and improvements over the next year, along with the relevant project and the amount they will receive.

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Anthony Bek Primary – window and door replacement – £200,000

Anthony Gell – repairs and replacement of flat roof – £150,000

Ashbourne Hilltop Primary – phase three of school expansion plan – £50,000

Ashbrook Infant – window and door replacement and cladding – £350,000

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Ashbrook Junior – window and door replacement and cladding – £400,000

Ashover Primary – replacement of flat roof coverings – £70,000

Bramley Vale Primary – renew flat and pitched felt roof coverings – £250,000

Bramley Vale Primary – window and door replacement – £250,000

Buxton Community – phase one of roof replacement – £500,000

Buxton Junior – circulation improvements – £75,000

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Children’s homes – improvement schemes for county’s children’s homes – £100,000

Clowne Infant and Nursery – window and door replacement – £200,000

Combs Infant – top-up money for school-funded rotunda, a round timber-clad eco classroom – £30,000

Creswell Infant and Nursery – window and door replacement – £45,000

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Draycott Community Primary – electrical rewire and fire alarm upgrade – £110,000

Dronfield Henry Fanshawe – renew of pitched Welsh slate roof coverings – £280,000

Elmsleigh Infant – boilers and heater replacement – £115,000

Grassmoor Primary – electrical rewire and upgrade – £190,000

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Hady Primary – two classrooms to offer 60 more spaces – £425,000

Harpur Hill Primary – design work to expand school to two form entry – £50,000

Hasland Infant – electrical rewire and upgrade – £165,000

Hayfield Primary – electrical rewire and upgrade – £155,000

Heanor Langley Infant – extension to create a group room – £86,000

Horsley Woodhouse Primary – replacement of three defective classroom floors – £80,000

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Joint match-funding – match-funding for minor school improvement schemes – £500,000

Killamarsh Infant – replacement of defective trusses, purlins and roof finishes – £450,000

Ladywood Primary – one new modular classroom – £425,000

Langley Mill Academy – three classrooms and remodelling to offer 90 more spaces – £835,000

Linden House Children’s Home – top-up funding for new home replacement – £400,000

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Linton Primary – replacement of flat roof coverings – £55,000

Linton Primary – replacement of timber-framed windows – £70,000

Longmoor Primary – replacement of flat roof coverings – £550,000

Melbourne Junior – renew flat roof coverings – £370,000

Milford Primary – replace failing boundary stone wall – £40,000

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New Boulton Moor Primary – new two-form entry primary school – £1,761,590

Newhall Junior – design work for replacement school – £50,000

New Highfields Farm Primary – new one-form entry primary school – £1,126,000

Peak Dale Primary – boundary wall replacement and repair – £120,000

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Pilsley Primary – partially rebuild boundary wall and access road – £65,000

Pilsley Primary – removal of underground boiler house which would be rebuilt above ground and structural and underpinning work – £150,000

Rosliston Primary – extension to create new toilets and refurbish existing toilets – £130,000

Rowsley Primary – renew concrete-tiled roof covering of main school building – £200,000

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Shirland Primary – one classroom to offer 30 more spaces – £225,000

South Normanton Nursery – small extension for staff room and head teacher’s office – £230,000

Stanton Primary – two classrooms, remodelling and kitchen, to offer 60 more spaces – £1,650,000

The Brigg Infant – renew slate pitched roof coverings – £250,000

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Tibshelf Primary – new primary school to replace existing school – £1,550,000

Tupton Primary – life-expired temporary buildings to be demolished, replacement accomodation to be set up in former children’s centre – £15,000

William Allitt – continued building repairs – £500,000

William Levick Primary – electrical rewire and upgrade – £110,000