CORNWALL schools have been celebrating this week after the Government approved in principle funding which could see improvements to all secondary schools in the county.

Cornwall Council was told this week that it had been successful with its bid for funding from the Building Schools for Future scheme. A first application made for funding last year had been unsuccessful.

The first wave of funding will see £69 million provided which will be used to refurbish or rebuild six schools, four of which are in the Camborne/Redruth/Pool area.

However, the council hopes it will get further waves of funding which could see up to £500m pumped into secondary schools.

Council leader Alec Robertson said: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform secondary schools in Cornwall. The BSF programme is not just about providing new school buildings, however, it is about raising education standards and achievement – whether through improved buildings, environment, technology or new ways of teaching and learning.

Aspirations

"It is also about raising aspirations of children and communities and providing a stepping stone to greater community achievement."

One of the next tasks will then be to submit a proposal detailing how the funding will be spent to improve education and learning in Cornwall.

Council chief executive Kevin Lavery said: "Although this is a challenging time scale, it offers us a unique opportunity to look at the way in which secondary education is provided in Cornwall and how school buildings support the communities in which they are situated.

"We want to ensure that everyone has a say in developing these exciting proposals and consultation with schools and their communities will be an essential element in defining and agreeing the programme." Work will begin in 2013 and is expected to be completed by September 2015.