Press releases: First appointments for PfS framework
26 October 2007
FIRST FOR ACADEMIES FRAMEWORK AS TWO LOCAL AUTHORITIES REACH SELECTED BIDDER MILESTONE
Delivery of the national programme to create 400 new academies in England has reached an important milestone with the announcement this week of the first Selected Bidders for two local authority projects appointed through the Partnerships for Schools (PfS) National Framework.
Kier Group plc was announced as the Selected Bidder to build the Milton Keynes Academy; and Balfour Beatty Construction was confirmed as the Selected Bidder for Sunderland’s Building Schools for the Future projects, including three new academies.
These are the first projects to reach this stage since PfS launched its ‘Design and Build’ National Framework in January 2007 to streamline and accelerate delivery of the academies programme nationwide.
The framework provides local authorities and sponsors with procurement and project management expertise gained through the BSF programme, and will ensure that similar economies of scale are achieved within the academies programme.
Tim Byles, Chief Executive of PfS, said: ‘I congratulate all those involved with these academy projects for reaching this important milestone. The new academies are excellent news for Milton Keynes and for Sunderland, providing facilities and resources which students, teachers and the local community deserve, and helping to improve the life chances for young people in these areas for generations to come.
‘The PfS National Framework was created to help local authorities and sponsors to design and deliver their academies in the most cost-effective and efficient way, providing best value for money for taxpayers and educational transformation for communities. I look forward to more projects coming through this process in the coming months.’
PfS, the agency tasked with delivering the national BSF programme, also assumed responsibility for delivery of the academies programme in 2006. The academies programme will see 400 academies built across the country. PfS is currently providing leadership and guidance for 137 academies which are being delivered using the Local Education Partnership (LEP) procurement model used for BSF projects, with a further 134 – including the Milton Keynes and Sunderland academies – being delivered through the new academies National Framework.
Colin Howell, Academies Director for PfS, said: ‘Milton Keynes and Sunderland are at the forefront of establishing value for money delivery through the National Framework by delivering affordable, high-quality schemes to the market utilising the delivery experience within the local authority, the commitment and drive of the sponsors, and advice and guidance from PfS. It is a real example of public and private enterprise combining in order to achieve real delivery goals to the benefit of all.’
The 1,550-pupil Milton Keynes Academy, which will specialise in business and enterprise, will place a particular emphasis on practical learning across the curriculum. The academy is sponsored by Edge, which is also sponsoring a new academy in Nottingham.
Sunderland will see three new academies built as part of the city’s BSF programme. Gentoo Group is lead sponsor for a new all-age academy which will develop new models of learning through its business and enterprise specialism. Business and enterprise will also be the focus of a new academy from lead sponsor Northumbrian Water. The new academy sponsored by the Leighton Group will specialise in engineering, with an emphasis on design and technology, mathematics, science, and a strong vocational offering. Sunderland City Council is co-sponsor for all the academies.
The Milton Keynes Academy is expected to open in September 2009, with the Sunderland academies due to open between September 2008 and December 2009.
Notes to Editors:
- 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 lifetime of the programme.
- Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is the delivery agency for Building Schools for the Future. PfS was established in April 2004 as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), and is operated and funded under a joint venture between DCSF (formerly DfES) and Partnerships UK.
- The National Framework supports local authorities in their role as ‘contracting authority’, providing them with national programme management, support for their local educational vision and strategy through the Strategy for Change process, a standardised delivery model offering procurement and contractual documentation, teams to provide local transaction and commercial support, and an approved list of six framework providers (Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Kier, Laing O’Rourke, Skanska and Wilmott Dixon).
- Sunderland is taking an innovative approach to BSF with its Sunderland Model of academies, key principles include:
• Admissions policies will be the same as for schools maintained by the council - there will be no selection
• Academies will be fully accessible to pupils with special educational needs and will support policies for increased inclusion in all mainstream schools
• All secondary schools, including academies, will work together on exclusion policies and practice to maintain the low levels of exclusion we have in Sunderland
• Academies will be a key part of the council's strategy for 14 to 19 learning, as set out in the 14 to 19 strategy for the city, ‘Building a Better Future’
• Academies will work in collaboration and partnership with the council, other schools and the City of Sunderland College. - Quotes from stakeholders involved in the two projects are provided below.
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Quotes from the two project areas:
Milton Keynes:
Councillor Euan Henderson, MKC Cabinet Member responsible for new school build, said: ‘We are pleased with the way the National Framework has allowed selected bidder status to be reached in a streamlined way. The process has been rigorous and all stakeholders have worked in partnership to achieve a superb design which will provide outstanding learning and teaching opportunities for students and staff at the academy.’
John Kerr, Edge’s Development Director, said ‘Edge is delighted to move to the next stage of this exciting project.’
Kier Education Senior Director, Neil Pates, said: ‘ Kier is delighted and proud to be selected as Selected Bidder to deliver the Milton Keynes Academy as part of the PfS academies framework and look forward to building on the excellent relationships developed with the authority, sponsor and stakeholders prior to selection. The academy is set to become a landmark building for Milton Keynes and provides a great opportunity for us to demonstrate excellence in the design and delivery of first class educational facilities for the 21st century. We will be working closely with our partners to provide a facility to make a real difference to the lives of those benefiting from the new academy and for which Milton Keynes can be justifiably proud.’
Sunderland:
Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Bob Symonds, said: ‘We are thrilled to have reached this crucial landmark and cannot wait to see the final designs of these pioneering schools and academies. The initial designs produced by Balfour Beatty Construction not only look iconic but address, head on, our educational vision and commitment to sustainability. We are confident that the National Framework will continue to help us deliver BSF in afocused and efficient way for the benefit of the city’s children and young people.’
Paul Callaghan, Chairman of the Leighton Group, said: ‘I’m delighted that we have reached this important milestone in the development of the new academies. The National Framework process has been extremely useful in helping the Sunderland Model sponsors select the right contractor for the design and build stage.’
Gentoo Group Managing Director, Peter Walls, said: ‘This is a tremendous opportunity for the local community in and around Pennywell particularly for its future generations. It is now full steam ahead to open the academy in September 2008 and the new building in 2009.’
John Cuthbert, Managing Director of Northumbrian Water, commented: ‘Northumbrian Water is delighted to reach this milestone in the progress to build a new academy. We can now move on to build an exciting academy for current and future students in Sunderland. It will challenge them to succeed, but allow them to fulfil their potential and build a sense of pride in all of the community.’
Balfour Beatty Construction Framework Director for BSF, Barry Eaton, said: ‘We are very pleased to be one of the first contractors selected through the PfS National Framework. We look forward to working with Sunderland City Council and its academy sponsors to deliver their combined vision to create a first-class learning environment. We seek to benefit the community in which we operate, not only through our work but also engaging positively and helping deliver additional social benefits.’
ENDS
