Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, at how many schools on the Priority School Building Programme has construction work (a) started and (b) been completed.

The Priority School Building Programme 1 (PSBP1) is a centrally managed programme set up to address the needs of the schools most in need of urgent repair. Through the programme, 260 schools will be rebuilt or have their condition needs met by the Education Funding Agency.

Under the PSBP1 the Department for Education has now signed construction contracts for 102 schools: construction work has started at 100 schools; and construction work will start imminently at the other 2 schools.

20 schools have now opened in new buildings: at 3 of these schools construction work is complete and at the other 17 schools construction work is continuing to demolish the old dilapidated buildings.