Ringwood School secured the grants under the Government’s Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) programme to carry out major improvement works to its school buildings.

A total of £2.2 million will be spent on a brand-new school hall and associated works including significant improvements to existing student dining facilities.

The remaining £0.6 million will be spent on a thermal upgrades and re-roofing works to the science and technology buildings.

Headteacher, Leanne Symonds, said: “Ringwood School is an oversubscribed, successful and high-achieving school, but the facilities we are able to offer our young people at lunchtime are much too crowded and insufficient.

“This successful application will enable us to build a new facility large enough to accommodate the daily needs of a busy school, but will also ensure we can provide a safer, light, warm space to eat in a civilised manner thus providing outstanding opportunities for physical, social and emotional development of all students and the best conditions for their learning.”

The CIF programme is an annual round of bidding under which academy schools and colleges can apply for funding for the upkeep and improvement of their buildings and to fund expansion projects for schools that have been rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. Ringwood School has worked on the funding bid with Ringwood-based consultants Kendall Kingscott.

Works on both projects will commence later this summer and are anticipated to be complete by September 2022.