Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is about providing your children with educational facilities fit for the 21st century. It aims to transform the physical school environment and to support new ways of teaching and learning.

As a parent, you will inevitably be concerned that the new facilities should meet your children's needs. So there are several ways for you to have a say about what sorts of schools there should be in your area, where they are and what facilities they have.

In addition to contact with school governors and parent-teacher associations, your local authority, and possibly your school, will consult those who will be affected before any changes are made. You may also have the chance to discuss plans informally with teachers and headteachers.

You may also be worried about disruption to your child's education whilst building work is being done at their school. Some disruption is inevitable, but BSF is designed to minimise this. The Department for Education and Partnerships for Schools (PfS) will be supporting the local authority throughout the project and will be suggest ways to help make the experience a positive one for the pupils affected.

Creating educational and leisure facilities for the whole community, not just schoolchildren, is a fundamental part of BSF, so you and your neighbours should also benefit directly from the improvements to local schools, for example, by being able to use them for sports or evening classes.

Information for parents of children with special educational needs

Building Schools for the Future includes local authority-controlled secondary special educational needs (SEN) schools and secondary places in all-age SEN schools. Local authorities' proposals for BSF must show how the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, will met by strategic groupings of schools, with SEN schools, special units or resourced provision in mainstream schools for those with more complex or severe needs.

Parents or carers of children with learning disabilities will find useful information on the Mencap website, which includes information on inclusion and finding the right school for your child.