A school which has been in "desperate" need of renovations for over a decade is finally set to receive improvements in the latest round of the Government's School Rebuilding Programme.
A total of 10 North East schools have been added to the list of schools which will be rebuilt or revamped in the latest round of the scheme, the Government has announced.
Among the schools to be renovated is Framwellgate School Durham, which headteacher Andy Byers says is currently not fit for purpose. Today he said he was "delighted" with the announcement after calling on the Government to make improvements to the school for a number of years.
Read more: All the North East schools to be rebuilt or revamped under latest Government funding round
Mr Byers, who has been headteacher at the school since 2017, said: "I'm delighted, this is exactly what the school has needed as it's not fit for purpose any longer. We want our students to be learning in a 21st Century environment and our staff to work in a nice environment too.
"Hopefully with this announcement from the Government we're going to get that sooner rather than later."
Since 2010, around 500 schools across the country have been refurbished or rebuilt under Government programmes. Framwellgate School Durham was earmarked for a rebuild under the Building Schools for the Future scheme in the late 2000s but the project was cancelled in 2010 by the then Education Secretary Michael Gove.
In February 2020, Mr Byers wrote a letter to the then Education Secretary Gavin Williamson and Durham County Council, explaining the desperate need for renovations to the school.
In his letter he wrote: "Our school of 1,250+ students in central Durham has seven separate buildings, four of which were built in the 1960s, and one of which was a 'temporary' building donated to us years ago.
"When it rains, the site floods, blocking access into and out of some buildings.
"Many classrooms are inaccessible other than via narrow stairwells which, every change of lesson, have to cope with 240 students walking in opposite directions.
"Our science prep room is small, yet services 10 labs spread over three floors and two buildings. Technicians have to carry chemicals up and down stairs and outside in all weathers.
"Our main hall doubles as a dining area and exam room and we don't have a proper drama studio."
Following today's announcement Mr Byers hopes that the school will be granted a significant rebuild. He added: "Given the state of our buildings I'm fairly confident that there will be a substantial amount of rebuilding, but it's difficult to say for sure at this early stage."
As well as Framwellgate School Durham, the Government also announced that St Leonard's Catholic School in Durham is to receive renovations under the latest round of the School Rebuilding Programme,
Mary Kelly Foy, MP for the City of Durham, who has campaigned for both schools to be rebuilt, said: "Today's news is fantastic for the City of Durham. Since being elected I have worked closely with the leadership of both St Leonards and Framwellgate to highlight the serious disruption that their crumbling school buildings have been causing to pupils and staff.
"This is exciting news for students, staff, and parents in Durham and I am incredibly pleased that we have now taken a big step towards rebuilding both schools. I want to pay tribute to both schools for tirelessly fighting for better facilities for their pupils over recent years- knowing their staff and students deserved better."
Read next:
-
Inside the County Durham school which headteacher claims is unacceptable for students and staff
-
'People felt that he was a friend': County Durham church pays tribute to Fr Dermott Donnelly
-
Newcastle's 'motorbike crime emergency' could force locals to 'take the law into their own hands
-
Police called after reports of a baby on Redheugh Bridge with no parents present
