Grade-listed school 'misses out on cash'

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WOODLANDS Academy has lost out on vital government cash because parts of its buildings are partly listed, city MP Geoffrey Robinson has claimed.

The all-boys secondary school, which missed out on a re-build under the scrapped Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, had wanted to apply for cash under a new scheme announced by education secretary Michael Gove last year.

But Mr Robinson claimed it was told it was likely to miss out because 30 per cent of its building is listed.

Speaking at Westminster on Monday, he told fellow MPs: "It seems that the school will be denied any access to the priority school building programme by an anomalous set of circumstances."

In response, Mr Gove said he knew a number of schools in the city needed investment but warned a large number of bids to the new private finance-funded scheme would not meet the criteria.

He said decisions on which schools would benefit from the scheme would be announced next month.

Woodlands converted to academy status in a bid to get more government help last year, sparking a staff walkout.

Last week, councillors agreed to renew planning permission for a re-build of the site along with Ernesford Grange and President Kennedy, which also missed out on BSF cash when the fund was axed by education chiefs.

Seven city schools - including Ernesford Grange and President Kennedy - applied for a slice of the £2billion set to be invested into the private finance-funded priority school building programme to rebuild sites in the worst condition. Woodlands did not apply.

The other Coventry schools waiting are Richard Lee Primary School, Wyken Croft, St Thomas More Catholic, Whitmore Park primaries and Alice Stevens Special School.