I met with the Education Secretary this week to talk about three of our brilliant local schools and the work that’s needed to make them fit for the future.
The case for extra investment into St Peter’s Church of England Primary School in Budleigh Salterton is as clear as day. I’ve asked for the Department for Education to urgently review its previous Grade A classification for the school’s conditions, which we all know just isn’t right. Their temporary classrooms are way past their best, and I want to unlock funding to change that. As the school is part of the Diocese of Exeter, I have also contacted them to ask about any funding they can put towards improvements as they should contribute to the upkeep of their schools.
We need spades in the ground to deliver a safe, new Tipton St John Primary School away from its current flood-prone site as soon as possible. I was really pleased to help secure priority status for the project, which is part of the government’s multi-billion-pound School Rebuilding Programme. Devon County Council are currently undertaking their own assessment of the location options and deciding how best to proceed. I’ll keep you updated!
Finally, for Sidmouth C of E Primary School, we had this week’s exciting announcement that plans for a new building and facilities at their Manstone Avenue site have been given the green light and extra government funding to push ahead with detailed design and tender stages of the project. I'll continue to do everything I can to get this project completed as soon as possible.
Pupils in East Devon deserve a world class education. Our teachers work hard to deliver just that. I’ll keep banging the drum for their facilities to be top notch too.