SIX Wellington area schools are to have desperately needed repairs carried out over the summer holidays using a £3.4 million Department for Education (DfE) grant.

Somerset Council has been awarded £3,408,603 by the DfE for the work, much of which was said to be for ‘critical issues’.

The list of local schools which will receive a share of the funding is:

  • Beech Grove Primary School, Wellington
  • Rockwell Green Primary School
  • Cotford St Luke Community Primary School
  • Milverton Primary School
  • Oake, Bradford and Nynehead Primary School
  • Wiveliscombe Primary School

The council’s lead building surveyor Nicola Johns said the Government grant would be used to address what she descried as ‘high-priority school building condition issues’.

Ms Johns said it would ensure children did not have to study in temporary classrooms or other such facilities for long periods.

She said: “The DfE allocation is sufficient only to undertake some of the highest priority items in the programme.

“As a result, much of the proposed work is for the replacement of items that are beyond economic repair for the council.

“The objective of this project is to rectify the most critical building condition issues as identified in condition surveys, ensuring that building components do not fail and significantly reducing the risk of school buildings becoming unusable due to deteriorating condition, which may in turn cause operational issues for schools and pose health and safety risks and compliance breaches.

“The programme will address specific building condition issues, such as structural issues, the renewal of windows, doors, and roofs, boilers and heating systems, lighting and electrical systems, lift replacement, drainage, and playground/court surfacing work.”

The council has not released any details of the individual repairs or budget allocations for each site, citing commercial sensitivity.