The DfE School Rebuilding Programme carries out major rebuilding and refurbishment projects at school and sixth-form college buildings across England, with buildings prioritised according to their condition. Tavistock College has been selected as one of three Devon secondaries that will receive this funding which will allow for the school to increase its capacity for internal developments, such as a the improvements of their STEM provisions. These changes will greatly affect the opportunities available for students and staff and means long term improvements can be made.

Principal Tristan Forster said “‘All of us at Tavistock College are delighted with the news that we will be part of the DfE’s new builds for schools programme. Most of our buildings are in a terrible state, some of which are condemned, we currently have 12 classrooms out of use due to the buildings being in such a poor state that we simply can’t allow students or staff inside them. We are hopeful that this programme of rebuilding will enable us to modernise our learning environments and enable our students to take real pride in their school, something that the current learning environments do not enable.

This process is about much more than new classrooms it’s about building back the strength of the college within the community it serves and will provide this along with the work we are doing with our academy improvement plan will enable us to go from strength to strength.

I would like to thank all those who have worked so hard on this bidding process and those who have canvased to improve the learning environment of our community’s young people.”

During his visit to Tavistock College in the summer, Sir Geoffrey Cox was shown the poor state of some of the school buildings estate, spoke to teachers about the problems it caused them, and promised Principal, Tristan Muller-Forster, that he would immediately take up the issue with the Government in support of the college’s bid for assistance.

The MP sent photographs he took of the school to the Secretary of State and urged the Government to provide the money for refurbishment and rebuilding at the school.

Sir Geoffrey Cox said: ‘During my visit in the summer, I was angered by the shameful condition of some of the buildings at Tavistock College in which the students and staff are having to manage.

‘I wrote bluntly to the then Secretary of State and spoke to him and other ministers showing them the photographs I had taken. Our pupils deserve better, and I am very pleased for everyone at Tavistock College, and for our community, that the Secretary of State has now written to me to say the college’s bid has been successful and it will be included in this major school rebuilding programme.’

Trust Leader and CEO, Dan Morrow, said: ‘We are delighted that we have secured the support to take Tavistock College into a new and exciting era with an investment in the buildings which is long overdue. The significant improvements we have seen in the performance of the college will be accelerated with state of the art facilities which give the young people and community the resources they so richly deserve to thrive and excel.’