Two schools in Stafford are set to benefit from Government investment as part of the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), a national programme which provides grants to help schools tackle maintenance problems.

Doxey Academy has been awarded £900,000 and Sir Graham Balfour School has been awarded £1.5 million which they will put towards making the schools safer and more comfortable places to learn and work.

The investment is part of the Government's long-term plan to improve school buildings.

Sir Graham Balfour School will use the funding to bring its site into compliance with Martyn's Law, new legislation requiring public venues to put in place security measures to protect against terrorist attacks.

Matthew Mason, Headteacher of Sir Graham Balfour School, said: "The funding will be used to upgrade the site security with new fencing and gates being installed across the site.

"We are grateful that the Department for Education have provided the funding to ensure that our school site is compliant with the new legislation."

Doxey Academy will use the grant to install a modern hybrid heating system, combining air source heat pumps with high-efficiency condensing boilers, and making use of the school's existing solar array.

The current system has been dilapidated for some time and emergency repairs have placed financial pressure on the school, taking funding away from teaching and learning resources.

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Sam Compton, CEO of the Creative Learning Partnership Trust (which Doxey Academy is a member) said: "We are delighted that Doxey Academy has successfully secured a Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) award, working in partnership with Entrust on behalf of the Creative Learning Partnership Trust.

"We are particularly grateful to the Department for Education for their continued commitment to investing in school estates and supporting improvements that benefit pupils and staff.

"We are so pleased that this project will create a safe, warm, and future-ready environment for pupils and staff, supporting both educational outcomes and our long-term sustainability ambitions."

684 schools and sixth-form colleges across England will benefit from the £450 million CIF programme which forms part of a wider government investment of over £2.1 billion in school building maintenance this financial year.

Leigh Ingham, MP for Stafford, Eccleshall, and the villages, said: "Every parent wants to know their child is going to school in a building that's safe, warm, and fit for purpose.

"Years of underinvestment by the Conservative Government has made that more and more difficult – I'm so pleased that the Labour Government is taking steps to change this, and that the impact will be felt at these two brilliant schools in Stafford."