MP calls for 'clarity on Swinton Academy rebuild'
RAWMARSH and Conisbrough MP John Healey has written to the Education Secretary asking her to clarify plans to rebuild Swinton Academy.
The school was originally earmarked for a new build as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme under the last Labour Government, but the plans were scrapped by Conservative Minister Michael Gove soon after the 2010 General Election.
John Healey – who is also the government’s Defence Secretary – has been working with the school to seek clarification after it was placed into the School Rebuilding Programme in 2023, but progress on the proposed plans stalled under the previous government.
In his letter to Bridget Philipson John says: “Fifteen years on, you will appreciate how much stronger and more urgent the need for the rebuild is now.
“I am grateful for the communication that I have had with you and your officials over the last year, and for your officials’ contact with the school in recent months, and I am writing to ask for confirmation that Swinton Academy is now included in your Department’s School Rebuilding Programme, and to request clarity on when this project will get underway and be completed.
“The school and council need certainty to plan ahead, which is why a formal confirmation letter and indicative timeline from the Department will be so helpful.
“This will allow the school to look forward and make decisions with confidence.”