Single gateway for BSF: PfS and CABE cement relationship to ensure high-quality design in new schools

28 May 2008

Partnerships for Schools (PfS) and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) today announced that the two organisations will be working more closely in the future to ensure that all new schools benefit from high-quality design.

Responsibility for managing the BSF contract with CABE has transferred from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to PfS, the government's delivery agency for BSF.

CABE currently provides free support and guidance to all local authorities to help them achieve consistently high design quality across all their BSF schools. Support includes advising on the design aspects of the procurement process; assessing school designs; training school leaders, client design advisors and design champions; and, through its schools design panel, reviewing designs put forward by bidders during the procurement phase of a BSF scheme.

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, said: “CABE plays a critical role in helping ensure that our new schools are of the highest design quality. BSF is allowing us to transform the face of education for generations to come and we have a responsibility to ensure we make the very most of this unprecedented opportunity.

“High-quality design that helps deliver inspirational learning environments is something that I am personally committed to and today’s announcement is a welcome development that marks a closer working relationship with CABE.

“Around half of all local authorities are now engaged with BSF and the current consultation from the DCSF looks set to bring more local authorities into the programme earlier than was previously possible. Against this backdrop, ensuring that we have the right level of support and review of designs is essential and I look forward to working closely with CABE and others to achieve this.”

Richard Simmons, CABE’s chief executive, said: “We expect that working more closely with PfS will help to ensure good design for all BSF schools. PfS recognise that the independent scrutiny of designs by CABE’s schools design panel is an essential part of achieving that. The panel will continue to provide very clear and robust assessments of all the designs that it reviews.” 

Following recent announcements that PfS is now responsible for managing contracts with 4ps and overseeing the relationship with the National College for School Leadership, today’s announcement completes the transfer of a suite of BSF contracts with third party support bodies from the DCSF to PfS, creating a single gateway for BSF. This is part of a wider move across government that will see departments assume a more strategic function and devolve more delivery issues to agency bodies.

For more information contact Tessa Kordeczka, Campaigns Adviser, CABE, on 020 7070 6769 or Amy Leonard, Communications Director, PfS, on 07960 116966

Notes to editors

1. CABE is the government’s advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. As a public body, it encourages policymakers to create places that work for people. It helps local planners apply national design policy and offers expert advice to developers and architects. It shows public sector clients how to commission buildings that meet the needs of their users. And it seeks to inspire the public to demand more from their buildings and spaces. Advising, influencing and inspiring, it works to create well-designed, welcoming places. www.cabe.org.uk
2. CABE has been contracted since the inception of BSF to provide support on BSF schemes. This is done in four ways:
   
   enabling: a CABE enabler – a built environment professional with schools experience – is assigned to each local authority working on BSF projects when each wave of the BSF programme is launched. CABE enablers provide practical support to local authorities from pre-procurement through to the selection of shortlisted bidders. They advise on project vision, design aspirations, appointment of the project team, achieving value for money through design, and developing briefs. They advise the local authority up until the selection of the preferred bidder for each scheme.
   
   assessing designs: CABE also provides advice through its schools design panel, which began work in July 2007. The panel reviews bidders’ proposals for local authorities’ sample schools during the procurement phase of BSF to assess design quality. The panel’s assessment report helps local authorities to evaluate design quality and informs decisions by the local authority planning committee.
   
   training: CABE also runs training events for BSF client design advisors and design champions, which enable delegates to come together and share knowledge and experience. CABE is also involved in the National College of School Leadership’s BSF leadership programme (now also managed by PfS), which aims to support school leaders in developing their vision for future learning and managing change.
   
   design guidance and research: CABE’s expertise and experience in school design is also disseminated through its publications, for example Creating excellent secondary schools.
3. Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the largest single schools capital investment programme for over 50 years. BSF will provide world-class teaching and learning environments for all pupils, teachers and communities in England.
4. 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.
5. 19 BSF projects have now signed contracts with private sector partners. These are: Bradford; Bristol; Greenwich; Knowsley; Lambeth; Lancashire; Lancashire (repeat);  Leeds; Leeds (repeat);  Leicester; Lewisham; Manchester; Newcastle; Sheffield; South Tyneside and Gateshead; Solihull;  Sunderland; Waltham Forest; and Westminster.
6. There are now 13 BSF schools, including "Quick Win" schools, open nationwide: Bristol Metropolitan College, Bristol (April 08); Ifield School, Kent (March 08); Michael Tippett SEN School, Lambeth (Feb 08); Sandon High School, Stoke (Feb 08); Birches Head, Stoke (Oct 07); Elm Green, Lambeth (Sept 07); Bristol Brunel Academy (Sept 07); Sixth Form, Haringey (Sept 07); Oxclose, Sunderland (June 07); Chaucer, Sheffield (Oct 06); Bamburgh, STaG  (Oct 06); All Saints, Newcastle (Sept 06); and Solihull Centre for Inclusive Learning (May 06).
7. The new PfS website (www.partnershipsforschools.org.uk) includes progress reports on every BSF scheme, and a new online collaboration tool will be launched shortly to give stakeholders the chance to form online networking groups to discuss BSF issues and challenges.