NEARLY £1million in funding has been agreed to replace Ringwood School's ageing geography building, thanks to the Government's Condition Improvement Fund.

Just over £991,000 has been granted to demolish the SCOLA building, originally built in the 1960s with a 10-year lifespan.

Plans are to replace it with a high specification building of multiple learning spaces, offices and toilets.

The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is capital funding that academies and sixth-form colleges can apply for each year directly from the Government.

Its aim is to keep these school buildings in a safe condition and good working order, that other revenue and funding might not be able to cover.

These include issues with poor building conditions, building compliance, energy efficiency and health and safety issues.

Sam Coombes, facilities manager, said: “The basis of our application emphasised on the poor fabric condition and thermal efficiency of the building.

"The school has experienced a steep increase in repair and energy costs due to ongoing maintenance and the lack of insulation throughout its design.

"Ringwood is committed to utilising our ongoing strategies to save the environment by reducing energy consumption and significantly lowering our carbon footprint whilst continuing to maintain a safe and modern teaching and learning environment for our students.”

Chris Edwards, head teacher, said: “I am delighted that we have been able to secure funding to further improve the learning environment for our students. Replacing the geography block with purpose-built high quality facilities will significantly improve the learning experience for our students in one of our most popular areas.

"This will be the second new building we have secured in the last 18 months, completing the upgrade of our humanities accommodation. We now have high quality learning spaces across all areas of the site, enabling us to prepare for increased student numbers moving forwards.”

Work is due to commence during the summer holidays and will be complete ready for 2017 with a formal opening ceremony after Christmas.