Press release: Preferred bidder announced for Newcastle BSF contract

02 June 2006

Newcastle City Council announced today its preferred bidder designate for the city’s biggest ever investment in schools.

The council’s Procurement Committee decided to appoint Aura as its partner as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme – a public-private partnership between Newcastle City Council, Partnerships for Schools and Aura.

The £180 million project, which will transform 16 schools across Newcastle, is the council’s biggest ever contract.

Some schools will be completely rebuilt while others will be extensively refurbished to create high quality learning environments that will benefit thousands of children, young people and communities across the city.

The £180 million scheme is part of a national initiative to improve school buildings and is partly funded through a Private Finance Initiative and partly funded through the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Aura will now be asked to finalise its designs for the eight schools in the first phase of the scheme and submit them for planning permission.

Catherine Fitt, Executive Director of Children’s Services at Newcastle City Council, said: "This is an incredibly important and exciting development for schools in Newcastle.

“It is the largest single investment ever made in children and young people in the city and will have enormous benefits for pupils for many years to come.  A huge thank you must go to all the staff in the city council and schools who have helped make this possible.

"Choosing a preferred bidder designate was a very difficult decision as the final two bids were both impressive.”

The proposals will support Newcastle’s regeneration and the transformation of education, providing:

• Imaginative and stimulating buildings, classrooms and external spaces that encourage and inspire learning;
• Access to new technologies that support teaching and motivate learning;
• Better sports and physical education facilities to help promote health and fitness;
• Improved facilities to enable all children and young people to achieve the outcomes encompassed within Every Child Matters;
• A wider range of extended services, facilities and activities for out-of-school access by young people, families and the communities;
• Opportunities for young people to access a wider range of vocational opportunities, including work-based learning and apprenticeships provided through the partnership;
• State-of-the-art facilities designed specifically to enable pupils with special educational needs to thrive and achieve highly at school.

Bewick School and Walkergate, West Jesmond, Canning Street and Stocksfield Avenue primary schools.

The remaining schools in the programme are St Mary's Catholic Comprehensive School, St Cuthbert's Catholic High School, Walker Technology College, Trinity School, Sir Charles Parsons School, Gosforth High School, Gosforth West Middle School and All Saints College.

Aura is a consortium that consists of a number of organisations that have a local presence, Sir Robert McAlpine, Robertsons and Ryder architects. Each of these businesses has a proven track record in delivering major projects.

The programme will also generate new work opportunities and apprenticeships for adults and young people in Newcastle.

Following the decision of the Procurement Committee the council will now work with Aura to complete negotiations and agree the final terms of the contract.

A detailed building programme will also be drawn up with importance attached to minimising disruption to staff, pupils and local communities while work is taking place.

The final terms of the contract will be reported back to the council's Executive in October and a final business case for the project will also have to be approved by Partnership for Schools and the Department for Education and Skills before contracts can be signed.

END

Notes to editors:

1. Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the largest single schools capital investment programme for over 50 years. The aim is to rebuild or renew every one of England's 3,500 state secondary schools during the 15-year lifetime of the £45 billion programme.
2. Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is the delivery agency for Building Schools for the Future. It was established in April 2004 as a Non-Departmental Public Body, and is operated and funded under a joint venture between DfES and Partnerships UK.
3. Artists’ impressions of some of the new schools are available. Please contact the press office.
4. The eight schools in the first part of the scheme are Walbottle Campus, Kenton School, Benfield School, Thomas Bewick School and Walkergate, West Jesmond, Canning Street and Stocksfield Avenue primary schools.
5. The remaining schools in the programme are St Mary's Catholic Comprehensive School, St Cuthbert's Catholic High School, Walker Technology College, Trinity School,  Sir Charles Parsons School, Gosforth High School, Gosforth West Middle School and All Saints College.

For further information please contact: 

Helen Greenwood, Newcastle City Council, Press Office: 0191 2115097
helen.greenwood@newcastle.gov.uk