Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the announcement that Beacon Academy in Crowborough has been successful in the latest round of the Government’s Condition Improvement Fund (CIF).
859 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided schools will receive a share of £456 million from the 2023-2024 round of the Condition Improvement Fund. Beacon Academy is one of the successful applicants and as a result will benefit from further upgrades to its fire alarm system, worth circa £1.5 million.
The Condition Improvement Fund is an annual funding round which the Department for Education has been administering for several years. The core priority of the Fund is to keep school buildings safe and in good working order. Most of the funding aims to support issues such as building condition, building compliance, energy efficiency and health and safety.
Nusrat has previously been instrumental in supporting Beacon Academy on what has been a long journey to securing £1.3 million from CIF in 2021, for improvements to its Sixth Form Centre. Last year, Hailsham Community College and St Mary's School in Maynard's Green were also successful in securing support from this fund.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Every school should have access to high-quality facilities, ensuring that pupils can thrive in a positive learning environment and develop the skills they need for life. Beacon Academy is an outstanding local school and I am absolutely thrilled that following the fantastic result of £1.3 million investment in 2021, they have been successful in the latest round of the Condition Improvement Fund and awarded a further £1.5 million this year. The boost in funding will ensure that students at Beacon Academy can thrive in an improved environment and better facilities, enabling them to fulfil their potential. This is fantastic result for Crowborough and for Wealden, and I will continue campaigning for more funding for Wealden schools in need of this vital support.”