PfS hits business targets with number of BSF schools open ahead of schedule
17 April 2009
For the second year running the end of the financial year has seen Partnerships for Schools (PfS) meet – and in many cases exceed – its business planning targets for 2008/09 as delivery of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme to rebuild and renew England’s secondary school estate gathers further momentum.
The audited figures show that PfS exceeded the number of BSF schools planned to open in the past 12 months, beat the number of deals due to reach financial close, and saw more Local Education Partnerships formed than planned for the year.
This end of year report card for BSF follows on from comments by the National Audit Office in February which found that the BSF programme is being effectively managed, the process has become more streamlined and efficient, costs are being kept under control and that BSF schools are being built “to a higher specification and space standards than previous schools”.
Tim Byles, Chief Executive of PfS, said: “There’s no denying that the past year has provided plenty of challenges for the BSF programme, from weathering the financial storm to the intense public scrutiny that naturally comes with a project of this scale. It is therefore testament to the hard work and commitment of all those involved with this unprecedented programme - PfS staff, local authorities and private sector BSF teams – that, for the second year running, we have not only met our targets for 2008/09 but in many cases exceeded them.
“This time last year there were 12 BSF schools open across England, a year later that figure stands at 54, and I am confident that we have the expertise and processes in place to increase the pace of delivery so that by 2011 well over 200 schools will be opening each year.
“We continue to learn, and apply, the lessons from the earlier waves of BSF, something which the NAO and other reports over the past year have noted is making a real impact on the timeliness, efficiency, standards and cost-effectiveness of this once-in-a-lifetime programme. Ultimately, Building Schools for the Future is about much more than simply bricks and mortar and for me the highlight of the past year has been speaking with students, teachers, governors and local residents about the very positive difference their new or refurbished schools are making to people’s lives and to their communities.”
By the end of March, a total of 30 BSF deals had been signed in local authorities with the private sector, worth over £3.5 billion.
Notes to Editors:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. The following shows the position on key indicators at the end of March 2008 compared with the end of March 2009:
Total schools open:
March 2008 – 12
March 2009 – 54
Schools open during the financial year:
March 2008 – 8
March 2009 – 42
Total number of deals signed with private sector partners:
March 2008 – 18
March 2009 – 30
Total number of Local Education Partnerships (LEPs) formed:
March 2008 – 10
March 2009 – 18
