East Sussex County Council has been told that its bid for £33 million for high quality academic education and vocational training in Bexhill has been successful. The green light for the grant was given by the Department for Education and Skills.
The grant will help achieve the Council’s vision for education for the 21st Century by creating high quality academic education in state-of-the-art new school buildings for Bexhill High school, as well as excellent vocational training opportunities for students at Bexhill High School and other schools in the area. It promises to be a facility for the whole community and will also contribute to the economic development opportunities in the Bexhill area. The grant also includes £2.3 million for facilities for children with special educational needs.
Councillor Keith Glazier, Lead Cabinet Member for Children and Adult Services, welcomed the decision. He said: ‘This is fantastic news for Bexhill and for the County Council. I am pleased that our carefully thought-out proposals have received government approval. It’s the biggest grant we’ve ever had from the government for our school buildings. It meets our long term vision for improving education and skills in the Rother area, following the review of 14 – 19 education. It also supports strategic plans to redevelop and regenerate the north Bexhill area which include proposals for the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road. The Council’s Cabinet is considering proposals on Tuesday to commit an extra £4.4 million pounds from our own budget to further support the scheme.’
The Council will now appoint technical advisors and look for contractors later in the year. There will be wide ranging consultation with partners, the public, staff and students to ensure the building provides the best possible environment for learning.
Building work will begin in 2008, and the new school should be completed in time for the start of the academic year in 2010.
Notes to editors
The rebuild and refurbishment of Bexhill High School is part of the Government’s One School Pathfinder programme funded by the Building for Schools for the Future (BSF) initiative. A number of councils have been asked to rebuild one school in their area before 2013 when the main BSF programme is scheduled to come on stream for other high need secondary schools in the County.
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