Tavistock College is to receive major building improvement works as part of the Government's second phase of the School Rebuilding Programme it has been announced.

The news that Tavistock is one of the 239 schools to get funding has been welcomed by MP for West Devon and Torridge Sir Geoffrey Cox who described the state of the buildings at the school as 'shameful'.

Some 161 projects were previously announced between June 2020 and July 2022, bringing the total to 400.

During his visit to Tavistock College in the summer, Sir Geoffrey was shown the poor state of some of the school buildings estate, spoke to teachers about the problems it caused them, and promised the new 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.'

Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust 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.'

Delivery of many of the 161 projects in the first phase of the project are already underway, bringing transformational new buildings to communities up and down the country and making a significant contribution to the Government’s levelling up agenda.

The second phase of the programme, in which Tavistock College is now included and also Callington Community College, will commence next year, and the projects will launch at the rate of approximately 50 a year over the next four years.

Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust 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.'