An academy trust has secured £2.6m from the government to make improvements to the buildings at three of its Huntingdonshire schools.  

The ACES Academies Trust says the funds will go towards projects at Hinchingbrooke School, Godmanchester Community Academy and Spaldwick Primary School.  

At Hinchingbrooke School, £1.4m will go towards a new roof on the middle school building, a new fire alarm system and other fire safety improvements. 

Godmanchester Community Academy will be allocated £1.1m for a new roof over the dining room and classroom areas as well as new heat pump boilers.  

Meanwhile, £100,000 has been awarded to replace the electrics at Spaldwick Primary School.  

The ACES Academies Trust secured the funds from the Department of Education’s Condition Improvement Fund.  

Specialist education magazine Tes has previously reported that £423.9m was made available for the 2024-25 allocation, and down from £456m the previous year.  

The Department for Education confirmed 866 projects will be funded across 733 schools and colleges - 16 per cent less than the previous year.  

A press release announcing the funding said Andrew Goulding, the CEO of ACES Academies Trust, “expressed gratitude and enthusiasm for the successful bids amidst challenging funding constraints”. 

He said: “We are delighted to have secured these critical funds which will directly enhance the learning environment and safety standards across our schools.  

“Despite the funding challenges, we remain committed to delivering exceptional education and infrastructure improvements for our students and staff."    

In March, the then head of Hinchingbrooke School Mark Patterson told parents he was leaving because of the “significant concerns” he has over the leadership at the school’s trust.  

In an email to parents, he also outlined his concerns about how much the ACES Academies Trust “top-slices” from the school’s budget.  

The figure, he claimed, is around £0.75m each year from Hinchingbrooke School.