These are all the schools in Preston, South Ribble and Chorley that are due to undergo major renovations

Lancashire County Council’s cabinet has agreed a provisional list of schemes to be funded from an anticipated £14m government grant that the authority expects to receive this spring.

Each upgrade will be confirmed only once the cash is secured, but a dozen Preston schools are part of the planned schedule of works - more than any other part of the county - along with five in South Ribble and four in neighbouring Chorley.

However, the degree of need across Lancashire means that not all schools even with urgent issues will see them rectified in the current round of what is an annual programme of remedial work.

Details of each school’s intended refurbishment were restricted to a behind-closed-doors session of a County Hall cabinet meeting earlier this month. That was in order to keep confidential the estimated value of each project until completion of the procurement process under which firms will be able to bid to carry out the work.

However, the Lancashire Post has obtained the full list of schemes and can reveal all of the schools that are likely to benefit from the 2023/24 funding allocation.

The proposed works are dominated by roof and ceiling replacements and the installation of new heating systems. Some schools are in line for structural works and one will get a new modular building.

A total of 61 projects have been proposed under the Schools Condition-Led Capital Investment Programme across the county council area. Wherever possible, they will be scheduled to take place in school holidays over the next two financial years - including the summer breaks in 2023 and 2024 - so as to limit the impact on education.

Notwithstanding the scale of the programme, funded by the Department for Education (DfE), cabinet members were told that even if all the suggested schemes are ultimately approved, they will “not address all [of the] condition works required in the Lancashire schools building portfolio”.

The schools on the initial list met the so-called “Priority 1” criteria for repair following an assessment of building condition data held by the county council.

That status is defined by the DfE as “urgent work that will prevent immediate closure of premises and/or address an immediate high risk to the health and safety of occupants and/or remedy a serious breach of legislation”.

Because of the finite amount of cash available, further prioritisation of projects has had to take place - even within the top priority category - in order to support those schools with what County Hall describes as “the greatest need”.

Remaining Priority 1 issues and any Priority 2 needs will be reviewed and considered for any future condition improvement programmes.

Cabinet members heard that works required to comply with health and safety legislation can, in some cases, “be managed through more frequent testing and monitoring”. But they were warned that such an approach “would only delay - and not address - the identified issues”.

There is also a risk that the proposed works will reveal as-yet-undiscovered - and equally urgent - problems that need immediate attention. For that reason, county council officers recommended a “significant” contingency fund be created from within the programme's budget to cover any unexpected additional costs.

Cabinet member for children and families Cosima Towneley told the public part of the meeting where the plans were discussed that “a great many schools will benefit”, adding that she looked forward to seeing the results of the refurbs.

A separate allowance has been made within the programme to conduct further investigations into - and specialist surveys on - buildings where there is deemed to be a potential risk arising from their age or the type of construction process used when they were built. County Hall says that there is a particular need to review existing concrete or steel frame buildings across its property portfolio.

‘JUST NOT FIT FOR MODERN EDUCATION’

When Andrew Proctor became head of Highfield Community Primary School in Chorley back in 2015, one of his top priorities was to ensure that its pupils were learning in a “welcoming” environment which “looked good”.

There was just one problem - the 95-year-old school building, which meant that keeping up with the basics was a constant battle before any bells and whistles could be added.

The Wright Street facility is one of 21 Central Lancashire schools set to have major maintenance and upgrade work carried out under this year’s Lancashire County Council school condition programme.

Once the necessary government grant money has been confirmed, Highfield will get a new heating system in its annex building, which houses two classrooms and several other flexible spaces. Currently, however, it is only the classrooms that have a gas central heating source.

“We did have some old electric heaters, but they were condemned a few years ago, so we’ve had no heating in [the other parts] of the building for a number of years,” Mr. Proctor explained.

“It now houses our SEN [special educational needs] unit - and it’s very important that [those] children have got appropriate heating and that the conditions are right for them. One of the rooms is used as a sensory room and we’ve now got portable heaters which are suitable for smaller spaces - but the [new system] will make a massive difference."

Mr. Proctor recognises and appreciates that Highfield has been lucky to benefit from the school condition programme for a second consecutive year - with the main building having had a heating upgrade last summer, along with the rectification of damp issues. However, his hope is that one day soon, the school will be deemed worthy of being rebuilt in its entirety.

“The building needs a lot of money spending on it and unfortunately we don't have that kind of cash in school budgets. We get about £6,000 a year to do any sort of remedial work - that's nowhere near enough to do anything major, so we've been papering over the cracks for the last few years.

“Although the building itself is structurally sound - because buildings from 95 years ago were constructed very well - it’s not really fit for purpose for a modern curriculum.

“The classrooms are very small and there are steps on narrow corridors - only a couple, but any child in a wheelchair needs portable ramps that we carry around with us. We can’t get anything put in permanently, because the corridors are not wide enough under health and safety laws.

“There are lots of issues like that that this money won't solve.”

GOING GREEN

The latest round of the schools condition programme will have a particular focus on reducing carbon emissions.

In buildings where heating systems require wholesale replacement, each project will be considered individually for its suitability for a low carbon heating solution.

Factors including the building fabric, local electricity infrastructure and projected running costs will be explored as part of an initial feasibility assessment.

Additional costs may result from wider works needed as part of carbon-reducing improvements to a school building - and a contingency fund has been developed for that purpose.

A report presented to cabinet members recognised that, due to the wide age range of Lancashire school facilities and the different construction methods used across that timeframe, “there cannot be one approach for all buildings”.

“Some will not be suitable for a low carbon heating option without significant enabling works - and consideration will need to be given to the operational needs of each building.

“By taking a long-term view, improvement works can be phased to ensure carbon reductions are achieved, without placing an unmanageable burden of increased operating costs on the [school which] can be associated with the change from gas to electricity,” the document stated.

Cabinet member for environment and climate change Shaun Turner said that the inclusion of carbon reduction plans as part of the proposed school repairs was now emblematic of the fact that the county council takes the issue “seriously” across the board.

ALL THE SCHOOLS SET TO BENEFIT

Preston

***Ashton Community Science College - Preston South West - heating system

***Ashton Primary School - Preston South West - flat roof renewal

***Brockholes Wood Community Primary School - Preston South East - timber floor replacement

***Brookfield Community Primary School - Preston East - flat roof renewal and structural repairs

***Deepdale Primary School - Preston Central East - ceilings renewal

***Eldon Primary School - Preston Central East - ceilings renewal

***Greenlands Community Primary School - Preston East - emergency lighting

***Larches High School - Preston Central East - heating system

***Pool House Community Primary School - Preston West - flat roof renewal

***Ribbleton Avenue Infants School - Preston South East - heating system

***Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School - Preston South East - flat and pitched roof renewal

***Stoneygate Nursery School - Preston City - pitched roof and ceilings renewal

South Ribble

***Higher Walton Church of England Primary School - South Ribble East - modular building

***Leyland Methodist Junior School - Leyland Central - heating system works

***Penwortham Girls High School - Penwortham West - external wall structural repairs (The Department for Education school rebuilding programme includes Penwortham Girls High School, which is currently at the feasibility stage. However, there are certain urgent health and safety works which are necessary to maintain safe operation of the school, according to Lancashire County Council – hence its inclusion in the condition programme proposals.)

***Penwortham Primary School - Penwortham West - emergency lighting

***Walton-le-Dale High School - Lostock Hall and Bamber Bridge - flat roof renewal

Chorley

***Abbey Village Primary School - Hoghton with Wheelton - damp-proofing works

***Adlington Primary School - Chorley Rural East - heating system

***Highfield Community Primary School - Chorley North - heating system and structural repairs

***Rivington Foundation Primary School - Chorley Rural East - heating and ventilation system

Rest of Lancashire

***Baines Endowed Primary School - Thornton and Hambleton - flat roof renewal

***Balladen Community Primary School - Rossendale South - structural repairs and other works

***Bradley Nursery School - Brierfield and Nelson West - pitched roof renewal

***Bradley Primary School - Brierfield and Nelson West - heating system

***Briercliffe Primary School - Burnley Rural - flat and pitched roof renewal

***Britannia Primary School - Whitworth and Bacup - heating system

***Brookfield Park Primary School - Skelmersdale West - window and door replacement

***Brookfield School - Poulton-le-Fylde - flat roof renewal

***Carr Head Community Primary School - Poulton-le-Fylde - window replacement

***Caton Community Primary School - Lancaster Rural East - window and door replacement

***Coates Lane Primary School - Pendle Rural - flat roof renewal

***Colne Park Primary School - Pendle Central - ceilings renewal

***Crawford Village Primary School - Skelmersdale East - flat roof renewal

***Crow Orchard Primary School - Skelmersdale West - heating system

***Fairfield Nursery School - Accrington West and Oswaldtwistle Central - flat roof renewal

***Flakefleet Primary School - Fleetwood West and Cleveleys West - pitched roof renewal and other works

***Gisburn Primary School - Ribble Valley North East - flat roof renewal

***Gisburn Road Community Primary School - Pendle Rural - pitched roof renewal

***Grosvenor Park Primary School - Skerton - atrium glazing renewal

***Hillside Community Primary School - Skelmersdale Central - heating system

***Hope High School - Skelmersdale Central - heating system

***Ightenhill Nursery School - Burnley Central West - ceiling replacement and other works

***Lathom High School - Skelmersdale West - flat roof renewal

***Little Digmoor Primary School - Skelmersdale Central - heating system

***Lytham Hall Park Primary School - Lytham - heating system

***Manor Beach Primary School - Fleetwood West and Cleveleys West - pitched roof renewal

***McKee College House Short Stay Secondary School - Poulton-le-Fylde - pitched roof renewal

***Moor End Primary School - Oswaldtwistle - roof replacement and other works

***Peel Park Primary School - Accrington South - window replacement

***St. Peter’s Church of England Primary School - Accrington West and Oswaldtwistle Central - flat roof renewal

***Richard Durning's Endowed Primary School - West Lancashire East - heating system

***Sandylands Primary School - Morecambe Central - pitched roof renewal

***Shakespeare Primary School - Fleetwood East - pitched roof renewal

***Staining Primary School - Fylde West - electrical rewiring

***Tarleton Community Primary School - West Lancashire North - timber floor replacement

***Torrisholme Community Primary School - Morecambe South - flat and pitched roof renewal

***White Ash Primary School - Oswaldtwistle flat roof renewal

***Whittlefield Primary School - Burnley Central West - drainage repairs

***Worsthorne Primary School - Burnley Rural - heating system

***Wrightington Mossy Lea Primary School - Skelmersdale East - ceiling replacement and other works

Source: Lancashire County Council document obtained by the Lancashire Post