Issue details

The Department for Education allocates funding each year to help maintain and improve the condition of school buildings and grounds which continue to operate as maintained establishments.

Investment should be prioritised on keeping school buildings safe and in good working order by tackling poor building condition, building compliance, energy efficiency, and health and safety issues. Throughout the year planned works will be required to schools. The below schools have been identified as needing planned works;
- Temple Meadow Primary School (ref SCA/2023/009) structural enabling works to gable brickwork
- Park Hill Primary School (ref SCA/2023/010) - air monitoring during asbestos removal
- Wood Green Junior School (ref SCA/2023/011) – roofing works
- Rood End Primary School (ref SCA/2023/012) – chimney refurb works
- Holy Trinity CE Primary School (ref SCA/2023/013) – window replacement
- Brickhouse Primary School (ref SCA/2023/014) - roof repairs
- Grace Mary Primary School (ref SCA/2023/015) - roof repairs
- Moorlands Primary School (ref SCA/2023/016) - window replacement
- St James C of E Primary School (ref SCA/2023/017) - tarmac resurfacing to playground
- Lyng Primary School (ref SCA/2023/018) - window replacement
- Pennyhill Primary School (ref SCA/2023/019) - window replacement
- Pennyhill Primary School (ref SCA/2023/020) - perimeter fence and wall renewal
- Reddal Hill Primary School (ref SCA/2023/021) - install dry ridge system to roof
- Rowley Hall Primary School (ref SCA/2023/022) - lay new path inc drainage channel
- Rowley Hall Primary School (ref SCA/2023/023) - rebuild flank wall inc rainwater outlets and roofing works
- Causeway Green Primary School (ref SCA/2023/024) - upgrade soakaway to incorporate new drainage run

In addition, following capital appraisal of the mini-programme of works in July 2023 for job references SCA/2023/001-008, Strategic Investment specified a further programme contingency equating to £22,342.61 should be allocated from the School Condition grant, which is included in Appendix 1 as approval ref. SCA/2023/025.

A similar contingency of 10% (£35,438.08) has been included as approval ref. SCA/2023026 for this mini-programme, approval refs. SCA/2023/009-024.

All unspent contingency will be reinvested to the carry forward balance for the retained School Condition grant allocation.

In managing the School Repair Account, officers within Building Services meet on a termly basis with representatives from those schools that have bought back into the Account for compliance monitoring, reactive/ planned maintenance and repairs. The meetings are held to review works completed to date, and any critical issues that will require immediate attention over the short to medium term (i.e. up to 5 years).

Any maintained school that has chosen not to purchase a full service from the School Repair Account do however continue to be considered for support from the School Condition grant funding allocation to ensure council assets are appropriately maintained.