WARRINGTON Borough Council will provide more than £2.4 million towards the rebuild of Penketh High School.

During the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, members approved a £2,425,650 basic need grant contribution for the Penketh School rebuild programme.

The report to members said there have been ongoing discussions with The Challenge Academy Trust (TCAT) about the state of the school buildings at Penketh High School.

It added that, in January 2022, the CEO of TCAT approached the council requesting a capital contribution of £3.5 million to rebuild Penketh High School, which is part of TCAT multi academy trust.

The funding request made by TCAT was part of a collaborative financial envelope including a contribution from TCAT and a funding bid being submitted to the Department for Education school rebuild programme.

In response to this request, the council provided an evidenced based analysis, which proposed a council contribution of £2,425,650 for an increase in school places from 180 to 210, with assurance of the continued offer of a designated special education provision in Penketh High School.

This will ensure that the council is able to meet its statutory school place sufficiency requirements, providing enough school places for west Warrington residents.

The cabinet approved the funding, through a funding agreement between WBC and TCAT, to provide an increase in school places at Penketh High School, and to continue to offer the designated provision for special educational needs young people at the school.