Partnerships for Schools



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Partnerships for Schools
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Press Releases

Press Releases

Six more BSF projects given green light and share £420m investment

08 March 2010

Six more local authorities across England have today been given the green light to join the national Building Schools for the Future programme to rebuild or refurbish secondary schools in their area.

The six projects are (in alphabetical order) Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Gateshead, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire and Sutton. Each of these will embark on their BSF schemes by summer 2010.

The authorities were confirmed following a rigorous selection process in which they demonstrated they were ready to hit the ground running with their projects to rebuild or refurbish secondary schools across these areas. It means the six can start now planning in detail to fast-track their most urgent building projects or deprived areas, far earlier than originally planned - with capital investment released from 2012/13.

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, said: "With over 130,000 pupils and 12,000 teachers already benefitting from BSF investment the length and breadth of the country, today's announcement will ensure that even more young people and staff are given the schools that they deserve over the coming years.

"As well as delivering the new schools and facilities that local communities need, BSF is also welcome news for local employment, supporting tens of thousands of jobs on the ground in the construction and related industries.

"For the last three years BSF has met or exceeded all key delivery targets, and we are now seeing a convergence of perception and reality - with around 90 per cent of all local authorities and private sector companies involved in BSF agreeing that the programme is now delivering.

"With over two thirds of all local authorities engaged in the BSF, we look forward to working with this latest cohort of local authorities to help deliver schools fit for the 21st century, and to ensure that taxpayers get maximum value from every education pound spent."

Five of the six areas announced today are new to BSF, with Gateshead a repeat local authority which is working alongside South Tyneside to regenerate schools across the two areas. Two BSF schools are already open in South Tyneside, a further seven in construction or design (two of which are in Gateshead), plus the delivery of the BSF ICT Managed Service to improve access to technology in three additional schools.

Today's announcement keeps up BSF's rapid acceleration in the last 12 months with 24 projects getting approval this financial year, including 20 local authorities new to BSF. This brings the total number of local authorities in England engaged in BSF to 101.

There are 149 schools benefitting from BSF now open in nearly 40 local authorities across England. A total of 50 deals have now reached financial close, with 20 of them - worth nearly £2.5 billion - signed since April 2009.

Notes to Editors:

  • The individual indicative capital allocations for the six BSF projects announced today are:

Local authority

Indicative amount
NB: Calculated at Sept 2009 index, prices will change as the project matures

Initial schools to benefit from investment
NB: The following schools have been prioritised in the initial bid submitted by the local authority

Buckinghamshire

£80m (£73.5m + £7.3m ICT)
  • Chesham Park Community College
  • Burnham Upper
  • Mandeville School (Aylesbury)
  • The Grange Aylesbury
  • Buckingham Upper School
  • Furze Down (SEN) (Winslow)

Cornwall

£69m (£62.6m + £6.5m ICT)
  • Camborne Science & Community College
  • Humphry Davy School (Penzance)
  • Poltair School and Enterprise College (St Austell)
  • Redruth School
  • Pool Business & Enterprise College (Redruth)
  • Curnow SEN School

Gateshead (repeat)

£80m (£71.6m + £8.6m ICT)
  • Whickham School
  • Ryton School
  • St. Thomas More School (Gateshead)
  • Joseph Swan School (Gateshead)

Lincolnshire

£70m (£62.1m + £7.6m ICT)
  • John Spendluffe Technology College (Alford)
  • The George Farmer Technology College (Holbeach)
  • Haven High (Boston)
  • Boston Grammar & Boston High
  • Gleed Boys & Gleed Girls (Spalding)

Oxfordshire

£62m (£56.3 + £6.0m ICT)
  • Banbury School
  • Larkmead School (Abingdon)
  • Cheney School (Oxford)
  • Iffley Mead (Oxford)

Sutton

£56m (£51.6 + £4.6m ICT)
  • Carshalton Boys Sports College
  • Carshalton High School for Girls
  • Wandle Valley School (SEN)
  • Hospital and Tuition Service (PRU) (Wandle Valley)
  • The Limes College (PRU) (Sutton)

Total

£418.3m

  • PfS is the government's delivery agent for the full suite of capital investment programmes into schools, helping ensure that taxpayers get the best value from every education pound spent.
  • PfS is responsible for the delivery of around £8.5bn investment into education until 2011- through Building Schools for the Future; the Academies programme; the Primary Capital Programme; and the Devolved and Targeted Capital Programmes.
  • Building Schools for the Future 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. Over the lifetime of the programme, BSF will help improve the life chances of 3.3m children every year.
  • Over a third of all secondary schools in England are now involved in the BSF programme.