Somerset schools undergo urgent repairs with £3.4m government grant
Somerset Council to tackle high-priority issues in 45 schools
Over the summer holidays, 45 schools in Somerset will undergo essential repairs funded by a £3.4 million grant from the Department for Education (DfE).
Somerset Council, responsible for maintaining the condition of certain local schools, received the grant as part of its capital budget approved in March.
The council aims to ensure that Somerset school-children learn in safe and well-maintained buildings, in line with legal requirements under the Education Act 1996.
According to Nicola Johns, the council’s lead building surveyor, the funding will address high-priority issues in school buildings, preventing the need for temporary classrooms.
The DfE allocation is sufficient only to undertake some of the highest priority items in the programme.
The focus will be on replacing items beyond economic repair, ensuring significant structural concerns and operational challenges are addressed.
The repairs will include work on structural issues, renewing windows and doors, roofs, boilers, heating systems, lighting and electrical systems, lifts, drainage, playground, and court surfaces.
A list of schools set to receive repairs includes All Saints Infants School, Dulverton; Beech Grove Primary School, Wellington; and Wellsprings Primary School, Taunton among others.
While the council has outlined the schools involved, specific details about the repairs or budgets for each site have not been disclosed, due to commercial sensitivity.