Bosworth’s MP welcomes over £900,000 of funding for local schools to help with energy costs
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, welcomes over £900,000 for primary and secondary schools across the area to support with energy bills.
On average a primary school will receive approximately £16,000, a secondary school will receive around £42,000 and further education college groups will benefit from £290,000.
There are 30 primary and 12 secondary schools across Hinckley and Bosworth which will receive funding to enable energy efficient upgrades to take place over the coming weeks, giving schools the power to decide which upgrades to prioritise.
The extra funding will support small scale energy improvements including installing better heating controls, insulation to reduce heat loss from pipes, or switching to energy efficient lighting.
This support, worth up to £500 million, is in addition to the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic users such as businesses, hospitals and education providers, which places a cap on the unit price of wholesale gas and electricity, keeping bills lower than the expected increase.
In the Autumn Statement, the Government also announced that the core schools budget in England will receive an additional £2.3 billion of funding in 2023-24 and a second £2.3 billion in 2024-25. This provides an average cash increase for every pupil of more than £1,000 by 2024-25, compared to 2021-22.
This funding will be used to deliver the ‘Parent Pledge’ which promises that 90 per cent of primary school children will achieve the expected standard at Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and maths by 2030. Further, schools are being required to offer 32.5 hours of teaching by September 2023. Allowing pupils across the country to catch up on their lost learning from the pandemic and spend more time exploring creative and active subjects is a priority.
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, said: “A further £900,000 for schools across our area will enable them to save on their bills by installing better heating controls, insulation to reduce heat loss from pipes or switch to energy efficient lighting.
“On top of the Energy Relief scheme, this funding will continue to support schools and colleges by reducing how much they need to spend on their energy, giving them greater certainty and power over their budgets.”
Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education, added: “Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine is driving up energy prices worldwide, so it is important to look at the things we can do to make classrooms more resilient to price fluctuations.
“We’re putting this cash in the hands of school and college leaders quickly, so they can decide what work is needed and our brilliant teachers can focus on teaching in a warm and safe environment.
“Education is rightly a top priority for this Government and we will continue to strive to provide every child with a world-class education.”
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