However, local authorities have hit out at delays to the programme, and many schools are still none the wiser when their approved work will actually start.
The government set up the £2bn Priority School Building Programme after it scrapped the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project set up under Labour.
Ten months have now passed since the DfE named the 261 schools selected for funding out of the 587 schools that applied but no work has started.
However, contractors have this week been shortlisted to tender for the capital grant funded batches in certain areas. The shortlisted bidders are:
- Northwest 1 – BAM Construction and Carillion Construction
- Northwest 2 – BAM Construction and Willmot Dixon
- South – Interserve Projects Services and Kier Regional
- East – Kier Regional and Wates
- Midlands 2 – BAM Construction and Kier Regional
- London – BAM Construction and Kier Regional.
Meanwhile, research by the Local Government Association has revealed that many local authorities are having to embark on a programme of emergency repairs to keep schools open while waiting for work-proper to start.
Devon County Council has estimated it will need to spend £2.5m on "urgent health and safety works" for eight of its schools that are due to receive Priority School Building funding, while North East Lincolnshire has already had to spend £1.4m on maintenance works in 2011/12.
Suffolk County Council has spent £1.1m on essential works for the two worst school buildings in the county. Bury Council has set aside a £2m contingency from its emergency fund to cover the potential cost of essential repairs at three of its schools while it awaits news on essential government support.
Cllr David Simmonds, chairman of the LGA's children and young people board, said: "The announcement of much needed funding to fix hundreds of the country's most crumbling schools was as a positive move, but that was last summer and many parents are still none the wiser about when their child's school will be brought up to scratch.
"This situation is now unacceptable and threatens to severely impact on our children's education. Councils are stepping in to keep schools running while government struggles to get its act together. Local government is already carrying out basic repairs but we could deliver so much more with funds that are currently tied up in government red tape.
"In the current tough economic climate we know it's not going to be possible to rebuild every school from scratch and councils aren't asking for gold-plated taps and state-of-the-art luxury staffrooms. But heads and parents are telling us that the condition of some schools is so bad its getting in the way of providing a good education. Despite the hard work of teachers, the possibility that children could excel in such poor surroundings is a challenge too far.”
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