Statement in response to the NAO Report by the Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools
12 February 2009
The Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, Tim Byles, said:
“We very much welcome the NAO’s report into BSF and in particular their endorsement that this unprecedented programme is now being well managed and that we are keeping costs under control. The report also explicitly recognises that BSF delivers new schools quicker than previous school building programmes and to a higher specification.
“The vast majority of both local authorities and private sector players in the market believe that BSF provides a better way to invest strategically in our schools and there is early evidence that the Local Education Partnership model is leading to further cost and time savings.
“In these uncertain economic times, the NAO recognises the view that BSF is less susceptible to market conditions than other large scale infrastructure projects. This is consistent with activity to date in 2009, where three deals have already closed, with the latest being a £50m PFI project in Tameside. This pipeline of activity translates into the continued momentum we see on the ground. With 50 schools now open, we are ahead of our delivery schedule for the current financial year, and to date, no construction works or school openings have been delayed due to the current economic climate.
“As with a number of other previous reports into BSF, the NAO also points to some of the challenges that BSF faced in the early days of the programme. Although as the report recognises, these have now been addressed, there is no place for complacency in the leadership and management of a programme of this scale and vision. We have been resolute in our commitment to learn lessons from the early days of BSF and will continue to do so to ensure that at every step we are maximising the impact of taxpayers’ money to deliver the new learning environments that every pupil, teacher and community deserves.”
