Bridgwater’s MP will be pushing the government to allocate funding to help rebuild a local secondary school at a different site.
Haygrove School, located on Durleigh Road in Bridgwater, was forced to close part of its site in August 2023 after being open for only three years, with lessons currently being carried out in Portakabins within the school grounds.
Conservative MP, Sir Ashley Fox, has been pushing the Labour government for funding to replace the school, raising the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions in early September and demanding a meeting with the schools minister.
As part of her first budget on October 30, chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves announced £1.4bn for the Department for Education’s school rebuilding programme, with a further £2bn for routine school maintenance.
Mr Fox said he had met with schools minister Stephen Morgan to raise the issue, and was confident that the DfE would allocate funding for the project before the end of the year.
“I highlighted that rebuilding the school on its existing site would cause significant disruption to both pupils and staff," Fox said. “Since the main building was condemned as unsafe last year, the school has faced considerable upheaval, which is why I believe the new school should be built on a new site.”
Despite its physical limitations, Haygrove School was rated ‘good’ by Ofsted inspectors when they visited the site in April – with the school’s leadership and management team being rated ‘outstanding’ on the same visit.
“It was a positive meeting with Mr Morgan, and he was sympathetic to the situation," Fox said. “I hope the DfE can now conclude their options appraisal and make an announcement before Christmas."
Morgan assured Fox he would personally visit the troubled school, Fox added.
“I remain committed to ensuring that Haygrove School gets the new, safe, and modern building it needs, and I will continue to press the government for a decision as quickly as possible.”