A school in North Yorkshire has been earmarked for significant investment from the Government’s Schools Rebuilding Programme.

Roseberry Academy in Great Ayton's buildings - which date from the 1960s - will be replaced with state-of-the-art learning facilities.

The Schools Rebuilding Programme from the Department for Education will see £13bn invested in schools in England to transform spaces into modern educational environments including new classrooms, childcare facilities, community spaces and areas for sports and arts. The new buildings will be energy efficient and environmentally sustainable.

Read more: How a neglected patch of land was transformed into a lovely community garden

Academy Principal, Helen Channing said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected for this substantial investment. It will have a huge impact on children and enable the team to extend our provision so that pupils get the best possible educational experiences.”

The school is part of the Enquire Learning Trust which operates 30 primary schools across the north of England.

Trust CEO, Darren Holmes welcomed the news. He said: “We are delighted for the whole school community that Roseberry Academy has been included in the Schools Rebuilding Programme. We’ve worked hard with the DfE to achieve this outcome for the school community and the development represents the fulfilment of a long-term priority for the Trust. The new spaces will allow the school to build on its strong reputation and offer even more to pupils and the community.”

Trustee Ron Kirk added: “Our staff work extremely hard every day to ensure that children succeed in their academic and personal development. This news will help the team build upon the already exceptional provision at Roseberry. We’re grateful to the DfE for their support and commitment in making this happen.”

Local MP Rishi Sunak said he was well aware from his visits to the school in recent years that the investment would make a big difference to the education of the school’s pupils.

He added: “I have witnessed the excellent work Mrs Channing and her team do at Roseberry Academy. It is a very good school and will be even better with this forthcoming transformation.”

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The MP for Richmond (Yorks) said that pupils at the school had written to him about their concerns for the environment in 2020 and he had visited then to answer their questions about green issues. “I’m therefore delighted that their new school will be more energy efficient for future winter resilience, helping keep bills down and meeting Net Zero commitments."