The first secondary school has opened following a £15.3m rebuild under the government’s priority school building programme…

Ian Ramsey Church of England Academy’s existing buildings have been replaced with brand new classrooms and a sport hall with activity studio and drama space.

The rebuild is part of the government’s £4.4bn priority school building programme to address 537 of the schools in England in the worst condition.

Lord Nash, Schools Minister, said investing in school buildings across the country was part of their long-term economic plan.

“The reopening of Ian Ramsey Church of England Academy marks a key milestone for the priority school building programme in the North East of England,” said Lord Nash.

“These new school buildings will provide modern, fit-for-purpose facilities for pupils and staff for many years to come.”

Thanks to the PSBP, school buildings are being rebuilt faster and cheaper than those built under the previous school building initiative - Building Schools for the Future (BSF).

Under BSF it took three years for construction work to begin. This was slashed to one year for the PSBP, with projects costing around a third less.