Oliver has welcomed the news that Dame Alice Owen’s School in Potters Bar will be awarded funding by the Department for Education to replace one of their key school buildings.

The news came following efforts by Mr Dowden to make the case with the Government for Dame Alice’s application to the Education Funding Authority for the resources needed for a new teaching block.

Speaking today, Oliver said: ‘I was delighted to receive the notification from the Department for Education that Dame Alice has been successful in its application for financial support through the Condition Improvement Fund. I have supported this application and am glad that all our efforts have come to fruition. The school will now finally be able to replace the existing block and provide excellent new facilities for its students.’

The Condition Improvement Fund is made available by the Government for academies and sixth-form colleges to apply for capital funding. It is there to ensure that school buildings are safe and in good working order. It also supports expansion projects for those schools such as Dame Alice that are rated by Ofsted as good or outstanding.

Oliver added: ‘I hope this announcement will come as welcome news and I will continue my efforts to make sure that our community gets the excellent schools it deserves.’