Derby City Council has put forward proposals for a significant investment programme aimed at upgrading school facilities and reducing their carbon footprint.
The Schools Capital Programme will prioritise essential improvements, including roofing, heating, building fabric, and window replacements, across nursery, primary, and secondary schools in Derby.
As well as improving the school environment, this investment will enhance buildings’ energy efficiency, reducing their carbon footprint and energy bills.
The plans will be discussed by Derby City Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday 9 April. One of the programme’s key schemes is a £2.2 million replacement classroom project at Wren Park Primary School in Littleover. This will replace two outdated classrooms with a modern, four-classroom building and a new multi-use games area.
This upgrade will significantly enhance the learning environment and enable the school to expand by 42 places, creating lasting benefits for the school and local community.
Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills said:
We’re committed to providing the best possible educational settings for our children and young people. This significant investment programme will ensure our schools provide the best environment to allow students and staff to focus on learning and growth, while further supporting our climate ambitions.
The proposed improvements at Wren Park Primary School will significantly enhance the learning environment and enable better classroom organisation.
Alex Buckley, headteacher at Wren Park Primary, said:
We’re incredibly grateful for the support and commitment shown by Derby City Council in taking this project forward. This has been an ambition of ours for quite some time and we’re delighted with the prospect of it becoming a reality.
It will be a huge boost to our school and we look forward to the exciting time ahead, working with the council and contractors in ensuring the project delivers the very best resource for our children and future generations attending Wren Park.
If approved by Cabinet, eleven schools in the city will benefit from improvement works in this year’s capital programme. This supports the longevity of the school buildings but also brings benefits to pupils and teachers.
Carbon reduction and adaptation makes schools warmer, more comfortable spaces to learn and should help to improve educational outcomes. The majority of the schemes are expected to start over the school summer holiday period.
Other projects included in the capital programme include replacing Dale Community Primary School and Redwood Primary School’s gas-fired boilers with hybrid heat-source heating systems. Murray Park School will benefit from improved energy efficiency with replacement rooflights, enhanced insulation, and roofing work.
Further detail of the Council’s climate change work can be found in the Climate Change Action Plan, including details on co-benefits.