What is the Primary Capital Programme?

The government has pledged extra resources to deliver ambitious plans for a new, long-term strategic capital investment programme for all primary schools in England.

Councils submit their proposals for the programme. Salford’s submission – called the Primary Strategy for Change – outlines our strategic vision for 21st  century learning in the city.

The strategy covers the first five years of investment, with the detail of how individual schools might benefit to be finalised once a funding announcement has been made.

All schools and the dioceses have been consulted and given the opportunity to comment and input to the submission.

We expect to find out in September if our submission has been successful.

If Salford’s submission is successful, £46 million could be available to improve our primary schools.

This funding will be enhanced by the addition of other resources, which could bring the total available for school improvement up to £131 million – the single largest investment in primary education ever made in the city.

Plans are required to be bold and to be a catalyst for addressing a number of issues, including deprivation, condition of school buildings and how the council meets the schooling needs of the city's changing population.

The strategy covers a 13-year period and improvements would range from new schools, refurbished buildings (including ICT) and improving school playing fields.

Seven new state-of-the-art primary schools could be built and at least half of the city's 84 primary schools would benefit from the money in some way.  

Previously, plans to improve schools have been linked to regeneration projects or have had to be limited in focus. The Primary Capital Programme  gives the city council a unique opportunity for a citywide strategy, doing more in one go in a planned way.

The next step will be to draw up proposals for specific schools and each  proposal will then go through a formal consultation process with parents and the community.

This page was last updated on 3 October 2009