More than a tenth of the county’s entire budget for school repairs is being spent refurbishing Ramsey College.

The secondary school is to undergo a £1million refurbishment, thought to be the biggest in 20 years, it was announced this week.

It is the largest lump sum Essex County Council has ever invested in the school and comes after staff at the college asked that the school be assessed.

Out of the £6.5million repair budget, which funded 110 projects in this financial year, the Colne Road school received £750,000.

The other £250,000 will come out of the budget for the next financial year.

The school was placed in special measures last summer after a damning Ofsted report, but subsequent inspections show the school is making good progress.

Headteacher Daniel Gee said: “We have got an absolutely clear vision of how we want Ramsey College to develop, and that is that Ramsey should be a school that everyone in Halstead is proud of, and is the first choice for parents in the town."

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