CENTRAL Devon MP Mel Stride has welcomed £10 million of central government funding for maintaining and improving school buildings in Devon.

A total of £1.4 billion will be invested this year across the country so children get off to the best start in buildings fit for purpose for the future.

The cash boost includes more than £430 million to carry out essential maintenance projects at more than 1,200 schools and £780 million for councils and education trusts to invest in maintaining and renewing their schools.

This announcement means the Government has spent £7.4 billion on school buildings since 2015.

Mr Stride said: “Having seen the positive impact of three brand new schools built in our Central Devon constituency in recent years there is no doubt a correlation between buildings and facilities being fit for purpose and the quality of education that can be provided.”

Commenting on the Government’s promise to create one million more school places between 2010 and 2020 he added: “Under the last Government 100,000 school places were cut between 2004 and 2010.

“Since then the trend has been reversed with 921,000 more school places created so we are on track to deliver a key pledge made in 2010 to deliver one million more school places by 2020. The proportion of children now being educated in good and outstanding schools now stands at 85 per cent, up from 68 per cent in 2010.”