Government to release £85m of funding for academies work

The government is to release £85m of funding for urgent maintenance and improvement works to academies, set to be tendered imminently.

The funds, which must be spent by the end of the financial year, are likely to come as a boost to SMEs working in the education sector. Work will be tendered outside of the national academies framework for contractors.

Academies have submitted bids for funding to Partnerships for Schools, which is aiming to decide allocations this week. Projects will come to market “very soon” afterwards, according to sources. A statement on PfS’ website says the spending will “address where there has not been any recent new building or refurbishment works or where no future works have been agreed”.

Meanwhile, Laurence Leader, head of capital and infrastructure at the Young People’s Learning Agency - which will be merged with PfS into a new education funding agency - told a British Council for School Environments (BCSE) conference this week that he was open to “discussions and ideas” from industry about how to deliver schools on reduced funding.

BCSE’s founding director, Ty Goddard, confirmed this week he was leaving the organisation to set up a think tank.