Eight local authorities fast-tracked into Building Schools for the Future

23 June 2008

Early start for more projects in secondary school building programme.

Eight local authorities are to be fast-tracked to join the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme from this summer.

Enfield, Hounslow, North Tyneside, Rotherham, Southampton, Staffordshire, Walsall and Worcestershire have got the go-ahead to join the once-in-a-generation programme, to give all secondary school pupils world-class facilities.

It means the local authorities can now start developing projects to rebuild and refurbish the five secondary schools in their areas most in need of investment – with the remaining local secondaries being rebuilt or renewed later in the programme.  The estimated value of the projects is £625 million. 

The fast-tracked cluster will join over 72 local authorities already joining BSF and around 1,000 secondary schools already being revamped, including around 180 academy projects.

Schools Minister Jim Knight said: “This is outstanding news for children, parents, teachers in these communities. It is right to give the go-ahead to projects which are ready to start so local authorities can target the schools that need it most.

“Our record investment over the last 11 years has made massive strides in addressing the depressing legacy of underinvestment in secondary schools. But we want to go further.

“Building Schools for the Future will transform the shape of education in every single community and future generations will reap the rewards of these fantastic new learning environments and facilities.”

The eight local authorities were originally part of the next tranche of 33 local authorities, who were all invited to demonstrate they were ready to start projects from this summer.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families and its delivery agency Partnerships for Schools (PfS) then decided to accelerate them, based on their ability to manage large-scale investment programmes and to maximise educational transformation opportunities.

PfS will now work with the local authorities to develop their plans to ensure that the projects deliver 21st-Century schools that provide value for money for the taxpayer.

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of PfS, said:  “Around half of all authorities in England have already embarked on their plans to improve the life chances of young people through safe, inspiring and innovative secondary schools. To keep this momentum in the programme we are now fast-tracking a number of local authorities that can demonstrate they are ready to join BSF ahead of the original timetable for delivery.

“These eight authorities, drawn from across the country, have already been thinking and planning carefully for their Building Schools for the Future projects and have shown they are ready to hit the ground running.

“With 13 BSF schools now open, research is starting to demonstrate how new and remodelled schools are benefitting students, teachers and local communities. We are therefore delighted to be able to bring forward entry into this once-in-a-lifetime programme for these areas, and hope that the ongoing DCSF consultation will help accelerate the rate in which the remaining authorities join BSF.”

Notes to Editors

1. Hounslow, Southampton, Staffordshire and Worcestershire will start their BSF projects in the summer. Enfield, North Tyneside, Rotherham and Walsall will start in the autumn.
   Partnerships for Schools will work with each local authority to agree the scope of their project, which will be based on the highest priority schools in the area. Allocations for each project will be determined fairly and in accordance with the standard BSF funding policy. Investment will be met from the budgets for BSF announced in October 2007 and from future public spending rounds. 
2. The DSCF is currently in the final stages of a public consultation regarding the best order for the remaining local authorities to join the BSF programme.
3. Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the largest capital investment programme for 50 years that will provide world-class teaching and learning environments for all pupils, teachers and communities in England, subject to future public spending decisions.
4. Building Schools for the Future’s (BSF) first six waves have been launched, and 90 projects in 72 authorities have now been started in the programme, prioritised on social and educational need. Additional “One School Pathfinder” funding has been allocated to a further 39 authorities which are later in the programme, to enable them to renew their neediest schools, and 81 authorities have academies open or in development. In all, around 1,000 schools are now engaged in the programme, including around 180 which are becoming Academies.
5. To date, 13 schools with BSF funding have been completed, a further 35 are expected to open in 2008-09, and 20 schemes have reached financial close. There are also around 90 Academy projects currently being delivered via BSF or the National Framework.
6. The £21.9billion funding settlement for 2008-09; 2009-10 and 2010-11 was announced last October. For more information visit: www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2007_0185
7. Partnerships for Schools are the delivery agency for Building Schools for the Future. PfS was established in April 2004 as a non-department public body and is operated and funded under a joint venture between the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Partnerships UK.

Media enquiries

For more information contact Amy Leonard, PfS Communications Director, on 07960 116966.