Schools in Hornchurch and Upminster have received government grants to ensure the buildings are safe and in good condition.

Hall Mead, Campion, Emerson Park, Sanders, Sacred Heart and Redden Court schools successfully bid for the government's Condition Improvement Fund (CIF).

On Wednesday (June 23), the Department for Education (DfE) announced funding of almost £483 million for 1,466 projects at 1,199 academies, sixth-form colleges and voluntary aided schools across the UK.

The DfE would not provide data on how much money individual schools were allocated, but said £71.2 million will go to 188 schools across London.

Secretary of state for education, Gavin Williamson, said the funding is to ensure "schools have well-maintained facilities and give students safe environments that support a high-quality education".

Schools minister Baroness Berridge said schools were the "centres of our communities".

She added: “Alongside our ambitious rebuilding programme for schools over the next decade, this government is making sure children learn in the best possible environments."

Hornchurch and Upminster MP Julia Lopez praised the fund allocation within her constituency.

She said: "I know that after such a difficult year, this extra funding will help these schools go a long way in remedying issues that normal revenue or devolved formula capital funding cannot meet.

"As we build back better from this pandemic, it is funding like this which will help deliver more for our children, who have been so adversely affected in the past year."

The DfE said it expects to confirm a further 50 projects in the next wave of the School Rebuilding programme later this year, with projects ranging from replacing or refurbishing individual buildings through to whole school rebuilds.