First London academy reaches Selected Bidder through National Framework
27 December 2007
The Walworth Academy, a new school in Southwark for students aged between 11 and 19, has become the first academy in London to reach Selected Bidder stage through the Partnerships for Schools (PfS) National Framework.
Southwark Council and ARK Schools have selected Balfour Beatty to build the new Academy on the site of the existing Walworth Upper School. A further 11 schools and two Academies in Southwark are due to be rebuilt or remodelled in the borough as part of the national Building Schools for the Future programme.
Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, said: ‘I congratulate all those involved with the Walworth Academy project for reaching this important milestone. It is excellent news for Southwark, providing facilities and resources which students, teachers and the local community deserve, and helping to improve the life chances for young people in this area for generations to come.
‘The PfS National Framework, launched at the start of 2007, 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 charting the progress of Walworth Academy in the coming months.’
Colin Howell, Academies Director for PfS, said: ‘Walworth is the first of many academies in London which will be delivered using the PfS National Framework. What we are seeing in Southwark is a great example of public and private enterprise combining in order to achieve real delivery goals to the benefit of all.’
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.
PfS, the agency tasked with delivering the national BSF programme, also assumed responsibility for delivery of the academies programme in 2006. 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 Walworth Academy – being delivered through the new academies National Framework.
Walworth Academy Chair of Governors, Anthony Williams, commented: ‘Balfour Beatty’s interpretation of the brief is really exciting and they’ve shown great care and attention to meet the needs of the school and our neighbours. Local residents can look forward to Walworth Academy having buildings which are not only inspiring but also immensely practical. This is going to be a great building where staff will enjoy teaching and students can learn and achieve.
‘I hope that people will come and see the designs for themselves and tell us what they think in January.’
Cllr Caroline Pidgeon, Southwark Council's executive member for children's services and education, said: ‘The selection of a developer for the new Walworth Academy is an important step for Southwark's schools for the future programme and the regeneration of the Aylesbury estate.
‘This is a really important project for the council as it’s the first school scheme to be delivered under our Building Schools for the Future programme and it sets a standard for other projects.
‘We are working closely with Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) to build the new academy, which will be an investment in the future of young people and will give pupils the chance to learn in a brand new, 21st century environment.
‘The grounds of the new academy will be landscaped to welcome pupils and visitors to the school and to make the most of its location opposite Burgess Park.’
Building will start in May 2008 and be completed towards the end of 2009, with pupils moving into the new buildings in spring 2010. To minimise disruption, building will start on the playground area first so that pupils can stay in the existing building until the new facilities are complete.
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 Willmott Dixon).
