Four schools in Blacon are to be entirely rebuilt as part of a £2 billion Government fund to replace school buildings in urgent need of repair.
Chester MP Stephen Mosley described the announcement as ‘fantastic news for Chester’ that makes sure ‘the future is bright for Chester’s young people’.
The Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) was set up by the Government. Through the first round of the programme, 261 schools will be rebuilt or improved by 2017.
A second round of funding has now been announced, with Blacon High, Highfield Community Primary, JH Godwin Primary and Dee Point Primary, with Dee Point also supported in expanding to two-tier entry from September.
Welcoming the announcement, Mr Mosley said: “This is fantastic news for Chester.
“On top of these rebuilds, we have had two new free schools opening in Chester, several schools are taking advantage of the benefits of Academy status and all temporary classrooms across Chester are being replaced with permanent classrooms.
“Together, these reforms are giving parents more choice and raising standards across our city.
“With millions of pounds invested in our schools, record numbers of apprenticeships and youth unemployment tumbling, the future is bright for Chester’s young people.”
The Priority School Building Programme replaced the former Building Schools for the Future programme, with the intention of targeting the schools most in need of repair and implementing the rebuilds sooner.
Under BSF it took three years for building work to begin, but the new programme has seen the time fall to just one year.
