This section of the website points to some of the lessons that have been learned since Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was launched in 2004.

For the programme to be successful at both a national and local level, it is essential that we continue to learn from experience. These pages are intended to be 'live' and will be updated regularly as new local authorities enter the programme and as others move further into the delivery and operation phases.

We have drawn on the experiences of pathfinder local authorities and bidders, as well as feedback from PfS, the Department for Education (DfE), 4ps and PUK to help benefit those entering BSF in later waves.

These high-level, key lessons cover the entire BSF programme and are presented in chronological order, aligned with the relevant stages of the BSF Process. They will be most useful for local authorities, but many of the lessons learned will be valuable to schools, private sector bidders and other BSF stakeholders too.

Detailed case studies from BSF local authorities will shortly be available to give more in-depth illustrations of different aspect of the 'BSF journey', including change management and ICT procurement.

New lessons learned were added to these pages in July and December 2008: these appear in bold.

Lessons learned in practice

Lessons learned and the experiences of pathfinder and Wave 1 BSF local authorities have already been used to inform processes and the development of the BSF programme. Some examples are given below:

• The criteria for the Waves 4-6 'Readiness to Deliver' document were developed using input from local authorities in the early Waves of BSF
• Strategy for Change replaced the Education Vision and Strategic Business Case from Wave 4 onwards, to ensure greater linkage between the 'what' and 'how' of a local authority's plans for BSF
• PfS is placing a greater focus on strategic pre-engagement with local authorities before they officially join BSF, from Wave 4 onwards. This includes a pre-engagement meeting and the Remit meeting, when the formal strategy of the programme is agreed and a Memorandum of Understanding is signed
• Core guidance on the Outline Business Case (OBC) was developed and revised in 2006, in the light of the experiences of the pathfinder projects
• The BSF Standard Documents were updated in late 2007/early 2008 to reflect lessons learned on closed deals
• The Procurement Review captured lessons learned around the procurement process for a Local Education Partnership; these are being used to update our procurement documentation
• The Wave 7-15 consultation carried out by the DfE in April 2008 built on lessons learned on projects to date and will inform our approach to projects joining the programme in future

Jargon and glossary

The A-Z of BSF on this website is a combined jargon buster and glossary, which should help with deciphering acronyms and any unfamiliar terms. The FAQs section may also be helpful. If you come across anything that is not explained, please let us know.