Schools in England will be given a share of a £500 million pot to spend on energy upgrades to make their buildings more efficient, the government has announced.
The money will be split between schools and colleges, with the average primary school getting around £16,000 and the average secondary £42,000, according to the Department for Education.
The department says schools could use the money - expected to be paid out later this month - on improvements such as better heating controls, insulation to reduce heat loss from pipes or switching to energy-efficient lighting.
New guidance released today will also advise schools on how they can improve energy efficiency, officials said.
In addition to the funding, the DfE has explained how the £2 billion a year funding boost for schools, which was revealed in the Autumn Statement, will be allocated.
It says that the money will be split between mainstream schools and high needs funding, with a typical primary school with 200 pupils getting approximately £28,000 and secondary schools with around 900 students receiving approximately £170,00, with the extra cash arriving in April 2023.
Local councils will get an extra £400 million for high needs budgets, to help support children with special educational needs or disabilities.
Education secretary Gillian Keegan said the funding boost would mean brilliant teachers could “focus on teaching in a warm and safe environment”.
The government is currently running an energy bill relief scheme that helps some schools with soaring gas and electricity costs, but this backing is due to end in April and, in a public accounts committee hearing last month, DfE permanent secretary Susan Acland-Hood said that the Autumn Statement funding boost was ”intended to help ease that pressure after [this date]”.
Tes revealed earlier this year that schools were planning to restrict heating in order to manage soaring bills this winter.
Responding to today’s announcement, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This investment is welcome but it will not pay energy bills in the immediate future. We are deeply concerned that the government intends to end the energy relief scheme that is currently in place to help schools and colleges meet rising costs at the end of March.”
Removing the support “will expose them to massive increases in energy bills that are simply unaffordable, and this will necessitate cuts in educational provision,” he added.
Funding for energy efficiency upgrades was “a longer term undertaking and will not address the present crisis,” he said.
