Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria his Department uses to determine whether to allocate funding for urgent building work to a primary school building that has been found to be structurally unsafe.

Local authorities receive an annual School Condition Allocation to invest in capital maintenance and upgrades across the schools for which they are responsible. This funding should be used to ensure their schools are kept in safe, working order. The Department will always engage with those responsible for school buildings to discuss particular issues and provide support on a case by case basis, considering the relevant circumstances, including severity of need.

The Department has also launched a new School Rebuilding Programme with a commitment to 500 projects over the next decade. The Department is currently consulting on how to prioritise future places on the programme and expects that there will be opportunities for evidence of severe condition, including structural issues, to be submitted for consideration. Further details and the criteria for prioritisation will be set out in due course.

The Department is in ongoing discussions with Tameside Council regarding the condition of a primary school in Denton and Reddish.