Our central Estates team support our site staff in all our schools to maintain school buildings to ensure all our pupils and staff have safe environments that are fit for purpose. It is vital our school buildings are maintained and comply with statutory and mandatory duties relating to health and safety. We have an ongoing programme of capital works scheduled to maintain and upgrade our school buildings, and are supported by a number of contractors:

School Rebuilding Programme

We successfully secured funding under the Department for Education’s (DfE) School Rebuilding Programme. 

Work is progressing well at St. Aidan’s Catholic Academy and St. Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, both in Sunderland, with building works expected to start early in 2025.

St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Sunderland, and St. Aloysious Catholic Infant School, Hebburn are both in tranche four of the DfE School Rebuilding Programme.

St. James Catholic Primary School, Hebburn and St. John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Sunderland have also been added to the rebuilding programme, with timelines to be advised. 

RAAC

At the end of the summer holidays (August 2023), we were advised by the Department for Education (DfE) that three of our schools had Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and these sites should close.

St. James Catholic Primary School, Hebburn and St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Sunderland both returned to their school buildings in June 2024 following remedial works. 

Works is ongoing at St. Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form, Peterlee. All students are now back on the school site. The DfE continue to provide us with support for this project which is due to be completed January 2025.

Other

Over the summer we carried out a number of projects at several of our schools including roofing replacement works, toilet upgrades, flooring replacements, outdoor nursery area upgrades and health and safety and safeguarding essential works such as fencing and security installations. 

These works will have a huge impact on the teaching and learning in our schools. One of the advantages of being part of our Trust family of schools is the support we can provide as a Trust with property and estates maintenance, management and improvement.