Signing of contracts heralds biggest ever investment in schools
19 December 2007
Leicester City Council's Press Release:
The £325 million programme that will transform every secondary school in Leicester is well underway. Financial Close has been reached on the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme meaning that the legal contracts have been completed and signed. The full schedule of construction work will soon begin on the first four schools to benefit from the biggest investment in secondary education for half a century.
BSF is the government’s new approach to capital investment in school buildings through rebuilding or remodelling to provide flexible, inclusive and attractive learning environments that inspire pupils, teachers and the local community. Contracts have been signed between Leicester City Council, Partnerships for Schools (via Building Schools for the Future Investments) and the Miller Consortium, which form the Leicester Education Partnership, to rebuild Beaumont Leys School, Judgemeadow Community College and Soar Valley College and to partially rebuild and fully refurbish Fullhurst Community College.
The new schools have been designed following consultation with pupils, governors, teachers and the wider community. The state-of-the-art buildings will be imaginative with spaces that encourage learning and achievement and employment opportunities. Information and communications technology, placed at the heart of the schools, will provide a new learning environment with features including cashless catering and electronic registration. The first four schools will be completed in 2009 and the remaining 12 secondary schools in Leicester will be delivered in a further three phases over the next five years.
Councillor Vi Dempster, cabinet lead for children and young people’s services, said:
“Achieving financial close on this contract is a key milestone for the development of education in Leicester. Building Schools for the Future will make a huge impact on secondary education and is an important part of our drive to raise standards and attainment levels.
“The schools have been carefully designed to provide fantastic new facilities for everyone in the community. As one of the first areas in the country to be awarded BSF funding, we are excited about seeing the schools take shape.”
Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, said:
“We congratulate all those involved in the Leicester BSF project for reaching this milestone. This is not only good news for young people, teachers and the wider local community in Leicester, but excellent news for the national programme as a whole.
“BSF will see every single one of our schools in England transformed, providing inspirational learning environments that help our young people to unlock the talent that each of them has and to reach for excellence.”
Robin Scowcroft, Director of Public Private Partnerships, said:
"This is a fantastic day for our partnership and I am very proud to be associated with these developments which I have no doubt will transform education in Leicester. We look forward to delivering the construction, information and communications technology, maintenance and facilities management for these schools. We are also delighted that the buildings employ such a robust and pro-active response to sustainability."
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 15-year lifetime of the programme.
- Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is the delivery agency for BSF. PfS was established in April 2004 as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), and is operated and funded under a joint venture between the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Partnerships UK.
For media enquiries only, contact Rachael Dewis on 0116 252 6093 or by e-mail.
Mail to: rachael.dewis@leicester.gov.uk
