Calderdale Council’s Labour leader Tim Swift has told the Government’s Education Secretary Gavin Williamson that it is time for him to honour past Conservative promises to fund the rebuilding of Calder High School.

Cllr Swift said:

“Last week, the Government announced that they will fund fifty major school building projects in England. I am urging them to make sure that Calder High School is one of these projects.

“More than ten years ago, the then shadow Education secretary Michael Gove MP visited the school and described it as one of the worst buildings he had ever seen.

“Yet when the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Government took power in 2010, they cancelled the Building Schools for the Future Programme which would have provided a lifeline for this school, Todmorden High school and others. The school has since been let down on two further occasions when it was inexplicably not included for funding through the Priority Schools Building Programme.

“This means pupils are expected to learn in classrooms with water coming through the roof and mould on the walls.

“Calder High is a great school with dedicated teachers who are getting strong results from their children but they are being hampered by these terrible conditions – it is time the Government stepped up and made sure our pupils get the teaching environment they deserve.”

This is a link to Cllr Swift’s letter.