Suffolk high schools to be rebuilt in government scheme

A Suffolk head teacher is welcoming the news his school will be rebuilt under a government private finance initiative.

Great Cornard Upper, Sudbury, and Chantry High, in Ipswich, are among 261 UK schools who will get a share of £2bn in funding.

The schools do not yet know how much will be spent on them individually.

Wayne Lloyd, head at Great Cornard, said: "It's encouraging and welcome news... we look forward to hearing from the government what the detail is."

The spending comes under the government's <link> <caption>Priority School Building Programme</caption> <url href="http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/a00209336/priority-school-building-programme" platform="highweb"/> </link> .

Great Cornard Upper currently has 750 pupils and that will grow to 1,200 by 2013 as it takes on two extra year groups when middle schools are phased out in Suffolk.

Mr Lloyd said the existing buildings were more than 40 years old and many required significant investment so they were "fit for 21st Century education".

"In terms of the private finance in the construction of schools, I have no problem with that as it's like taking out a mortgage to build one's house.

"The issue that head teachers will want to know is what the facilities management contracts will be and what impact that will have on long-term budgetary planning of the school."

Ben Gummer, Conservative MP for Ipswich, said the announcement for Chantry High was "absolutely fantastic news".

"The poor school has been asking for new buildings since the 1980s, we've finally got the money and it is going to happen in the next couple of years.

"The existing plot will be entirely razed to the ground and the new school will be a beacon of hope and education in a part of town which has had many difficulties with unemployment and aspiration."

Suffolk County Council, which made the bids on behalf of the schools, said it was waiting to hear more detail from the government about how the time scale and the private finance initiative would work.