Government Minister Nick Gibb announces multi-million funding to transform Valentine Primary School in Sholing, Southampton

And one crumbling school in Southampton will be transformed as part of a multi-million revamp after a top Government minister visited the city to announced the major funding boost.

Nick Gibb formally announced £6bn of funding for schools across the UK - with more than £28m of that being spent on schools here in Hampshire.

Valentine Primary School in Sholing is one of 277 schools to benefit from £2bn of Priority School Building Programme funding to replace a crumbling and mould-riddled teaching block and assembly hall.

And across the county education chiefs and school headteachers will be handed more funds for repair and maintenance work over the next three years.

Southampton City Council is set to receive £5.3m, while the county council will get £23m by 2017/18.
Some money will go directly to schools, but most of it will go the councils, academy trusts and partnerships organising them in each area.
The Department for Education says the money will be spent on smaller-scale repair and maintenance work, with every school set to receive a share of the funding.

During his visit to Valentine Primary, Conservative Education Minister Mr Gibb was shown patches of mould, damage to windows and where water leaks into classrooms on his trip to the school in Sholing.

Staff at the school said the condition of the main hall roof is so bad that it will need major work within a year, while a large part of the school's outside play area has been cordoned off due to the danger of bricks falling from its roof.

Water leaks into the assembly hall when there is wet weather, while parts of the windows are coming apart and falling off.

But during his visit Mr Gibb formally announced that it will be one of 227 schools across the country to benefit from major work as a result of £6billion of funding announced by the Coalition.

And that includes £4billion that will be divided among local authorities, schools and academy trusts for smaller projects.

Bosses at Valentine Primary School say they have been desperate for funding to replace the 1950s-era block at the school in Sholing.

Conservative Minister Nick Gibb during his visit

Welcoming the funding, Chair of Governors Felicity Martin said: "It's absolutely crucial.

"There's nothing more important for children than education, firstly through great teachers and then through a productive learning environment that is safe and exciting to be in."

Mr Gibb said: "in this particular building, there's windows falling out and mould on both the upper and ground floors.

"And that just demonstrates how urgent it is that we either refurbish or in this case rebuild to make sure young people have the best possible environment in which they can study and acquire an education."

The exact amount of funding the school has been allocated has not been decided yet, but work will take place over the next six years to replace the old teaching block and hall with new facilities, and extra classrooms to accommodate another 200 pupils.