Local politicians, councillors and school leaders are celebrating the news that a proposed scheme to rebuild Patchway Community School has been selected to receive funding through the government’s School Rebuilding Programme.
The school is one of 50 named in the second wave of the Prime Minister’s ten-year rebuilding programme to “level up” opportunities for all, with 500 new schools across the country set to be delivered over the coming decade by the initiative. Most of the confirmed projects are expected to complete within three to five years.
The final amount of funding that will be made available for the Patchway school is still to be confirmed. According to a government press release, “funding for individual projects in the programme will be determined when the scope and delivery plans at each school are developed.”
Improving school standards is a priority of South Gloucestershire Council’s Conservative administration, which has plans to make £78 million of capital investment to build new and upgrade existing school buildings across the district.
The plan to rebuild the Patchway school reflects not just the need for more modern facilities but also the increasing need for greater school provision to support new housing developments planned for the Bristol North Fringe over the coming years.
As one of the schools funded through the rebuilding programme, the new school building will be ‘net zero carbon’ in operation, similar to others being delivered by South Gloucestershire Council in Lyde Green, Frenchay and Winterbourne.
This announcement follows the decision made last September by the council to progress plans for the rebuild, alongside the creation of a secondary school on the new Filton Airfield development.
Jack Lopresti MP said:
“I am thrilled that, after years of campaigning, we have secured funding for a rebuild of Patchway Community School.”
“Three of my children went there and it’s a fantastic school. However, it has been held back by the poor quality of the buildings, which are no longer fit for purpose. The team at Olympus Academy Trust and in the school have done a great job keeping them running, but finally we can see a new building on the horizon.”
“It’s great that Patchway will be brought up to the same standard of building as local schools and I can’t wait to see it take shape.”
Dave Baker, chief executive of Olympus Academy Trust, said:
“The Trust is absolutely delighted that a much needed and long overdue rebuild will now take place to give the Patchway community the kind of facilities that they need and deserve.”
“We are grateful to all who have supported us in making representations and for helping others to see Patchway Community School’s need.”
This article originally appeared in the September 2021 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine (on page 26). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
