York All Saints RC School gets cash for new buildings

The Government have announced that All Saints RC School in York has been selected in the next round of the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP).

This means funding will be provided to replace or refurbish one or more buildings at the school, though further details on the specifics of the funding awarded are likely to follow in the coming months.

As The Press reported back in March, York Central MP, Rachael Maskell, called on the Government to provide the school in South Bank, with a new school building as part of its rollout of the School Rebuilding Programme (SRP).

READ MORE: Falling masonry, wearing gloves in class - York schools in need of urgent repair

Ms Maskell said at the time: “Parts of the school date back over 300 years. I have had the tour with the estates team at the school; it is taking ever more of their time just to try to keep the site safe, which is a major challenge.

“The school is old. Its masonry is falling off, and any repair needed is highly expensive. That is partly because the school is in a conservation area, in the sight of the York walls; it has to reach an aesthetic standard to be considered appropriate, so a walkway repair that would normally cost about £5,000 would be £11,000 at the cheapest. The portico, which needs to be replaced, adds nothing to education or the school environment but costs the school £20,000. That is just patching work. We could also talk about the guttering system, which has to meet a particular standard, and other aesthetic features of the school because it is a heritage site.

“I witnessed holes in the floor of the school gym in fact, when I went around, there was a new hole where the feet of children playing sport had gone through. Where there are ceiling tiles, they have been falling as well. The cost of the floor repair alone is £60,000 even more for the whole gym. Clearly, this is just sending good money after bad, or bad money after good, to try to address the serious repairs that are needed.”

Rachael Maskell (Image: Supplied)

With about 1,418 on roll All Saints is currently on a split site with Years 7, 8 and 9 taught in buildings behind the Bar Convent in Nunnery Lane and Years 10 to 13 at Mill Mount.

The school is rated outstanding by Ofsted and takes pupils from across York, Malton, Pocklington, Tadcaster, Pickering and Selby, but is being let down by its buildings, according to the city’s MP.

The school applied for the SRP and has a new site in mind where it currently has games pitches in Sim Balk Lane next to York College. Further, it will recover much of the funding with the capital receipts from the sale of its current site.

Today, Ms Maskell said the announcement will be warmly welcomed by all at All Saints.

She said: "All Saints is an incredible school that is able to draw out the talents of all its pupils. However, despite the hard work of staff at the school, it has struggled for many years with an estate which cannot provide young people a suitable environment in which to learn, play and develop. While the details of the School Rebuilding Programme are yet to be released, I am delighted that, at long last, the school has been recognised as requiring an upgrade, as was Tang Hall Primary School earlier in the year.

"I want to put on record my thanks to Sharon Keelan-Beardsley, head teacher of All Saints, and her staff, together with all who have advocated for this funding which we hope will enable a new build or a major redevelopment for the school. I have long campaigned for the school, raising the need for funding with successive Ministers, in debates and questions and at every opportunity. This news is most definitely a fantastic Christmas present for all in the All Saints community."

Sharon Keelan-Beardsley (Image: Frank Dwyer)

All Saint's head, Sharon Keelan-Beardsley, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have received the news that we have been selected for the Schools Rebuilding Programme. All Saints is a wonderful school with amazing young people and staff who care passionately about those in their care. The school moved to its current buildings in 1985 and they were always intended to be a temporary solution, as even 37 years ago they were not seen as being fit for purpose.

"Our school was recently placed 4th in the Sunday Times Parent Power ranking for the top schools in the Northern region and we were the top non-selective school. If we can achieve this in buildings that are failing, just imagine what our young people can achieve in a more modern environment. To say that I am pleased is an understatement; this is the best ever Christmas present for our whole community and will ensure the continuation of high-quality Catholic education in York, at a school where every child is known and loved."