The eight shared in a total $1.08 million works program to get them ready for the 2017 school year.

The local MP visited Macintyre High School on Tuesday, January 24 with school principal Lindsay Paul to see the upgrades completed over the break first-hand.

“This investment over the holidays is very welcome and will make those schools even more inviting and comfortable for students and staff,” Mr Marshall said.

“I’m delighted these schools have had improvements works completed and will continue to work with all school principals and the Department of Education to ensure other schools can also benefit.”

At Yetman Public School, $248,000 was spent on constructing a drop-off zone outside the school and new accessible toilets.

Mr Marshall said Inverell High School had seen the installation of air conditioning and new furniture at a cost of $189,000 while $153,000 was used at Macintyre High School to construct a new accessible toilet and storage facilities between two multi-categorical classrooms.

At Inverell Public School, $107,000 was spent providing accessible toilet facilities.

Projects at Glen Innes Public and Ross Hill Public schools have seen $30,000 at each to repaint parts of Glen Innes Public and build a new covered outdoor learning area at Ross Hill Public.

Mr Marshall said the Christmas holidays were timed for capital works and maintenance projects so tradies had uninterrupted access to areas without safety concerns caused by school students and staff.

The works have all been completed ahead of the return to work of students yesterday, although staff returned to school Friday last week.

Mr Marshall said that since 2011, the NSW government had committed more than $4.9 billion to school infrastructure and maintenance.

In the 2016/17 State Budget, $330 million was allocated over two years to planned and priority maintenance works in NSW schools.