Stafford school unveils new £1m teaching block
A Stafford school has unveiled a new £1m classroom block to meet demand for places from families.
The building, which features four classrooms, facilities for disabled users and a departmental office, was launched at Sir Graham Balfour School on Friday March, 11.
Headteacher Lesley Beck said: “Staffordshire County Council has financed this project. We were asked three years ago to see whether it would be possible to expand capacity on the Sir Graham Balfour site.
“It means we are able to meet increasing demand. We have had to expand our pupil admission number so we are taking in an additional form entry, with 200 children coming to Sir Graham Balfour School in September.”
On Wednesday Staffordshire County Council is set to approve plans to invest around £8m to improve school buildings in the coming financial year.
The spending programme will include maintenance work on school buildings such as roof, window and boiler repairs, as well as playground refurbishments - while 46 schools are in line for measures to reduce their carbon emissions.
Councillor Jonathan Price, cabinet member for education, said: “This year’s investment in schools shows our commitment to ensuring the county’s children are able to learn in an environment that benefits and aids their education. The investment will see upgraded facilities for many schools across the county.
“The decarbonisation programme in schools has been a particular success, with 51 schools already benefitting from a similar scheme last year. This year’s plan to reduce the carbon emissions of 46 schools by replacing inefficient systems, improving insulation and making it easier to monitor energy usage, will directly contribute to our net zero carbon goal.
“Climate change affects all of us, so by using this money to do as much as we can to reduce our impact on the climate means we can secure a brighter future for the county’s children.”
