A building programme costing up to £10 million to ensure sufficient places in the future for Wiltshire school children is on the Wiltshire Council agenda.

At a cabinet meeting on March 16, councillors will also be asked to sign off £3.5 million in maintenance projects for schools still under local authority control such as community, foundation and voluntary controlled schools.

The programme fits into the wider school places strategy to ensure sufficient places where there is need. Funding for the capital build comes from the Department for Education (DfE), from Section 106 payments – in which developers pay towards a scheme when completing developments – and from Wiltshire Council, where required. Wiltshire Council leaders will be asked to approve the scheme.

Schools earmarked to benefit from the new capital funding include a new school block at The Stonehenge School, Amesbury.

The council said it received annual capital funding allocations from DfE for basic need (new places) and condition (school capital maintenance). Capital maintenance relates to urgent and essential structural works, such as roofs, walling, windows, drainage and plant (electrical and mechanical works, and heating and lighting).

All other day to day maintenance works and low level cost works are the schools’ responsibility, funded from their delegated or devolved funds.

Section 106 contributions from developers play an important part in school builds, and since 2013, the council received about £48 million for new school places.

The cabinet report sets out how, in the 40% of schools maintained by the council, innovations and green technologies are harnessed with installation of LED lighting, energy-saving heating solutions and ‘warm roofs’ replacing old flat roofs to increase thermal values. In future, new schools will be designed and built to be carbon neutral, the council said.