Frequently Asked Questions
What is BSF?
Is it just about buildings?
How much investment is likely to be spent in Staffordshire?
Why is BSF needed and what will it mean for my child?
What are the timescales?
What is the Manifesto for Change?
Will Staffordshire be forced to have an academy?
Which schools will be closed?How will better facilities improve the standard of education?Will there be much disruption to the local community?What will the new schools look like?
Building Schools for the Future is the single largest investment programme in education for over 50 years and will transform learning and secondary education. The government is committed to spending £2.2 billion pounds per year over the next 15-20 years to replace, rebuild or renovate every secondary school in England.
Funding is awarded to local authorities in waves and selection is based on a variety of factors including levels of educational attainment; child poverty and deprivation; and ability to deliver a strategic programme.
Despite its name, Building Schools for the Future is not just about buildings, it is about transforming education. It is a way for us to raise education standards through well designed, multipurpose buildings and easy-to-use technology. Secondary schools will become 21st Century learning environments that engage and inspire young people, their teachers and the wider community. The new schools will offer attractive, aspirational and flexible teaching and learning spaces embedded with innovative Information Communications Technology (ICT).
Up to £750 million for secondary and £100 million for primary through the Primary Capital Programme.
The project aims to raise educational attainment for Staffordshire's children and will mean that all children and young people in Staffordshire benefit from well designed secondary school buildings and facilities with sophisticated ICT. Schools will also be able to make their enhanced facilities available to the wider community so more people can benefit.
We have been invited to bid for up to £100m for a scheme in one area. The deadline to submit our bid is 11 April. If we are successful building work could begin in Tamworth as early as 2011. Cannock and Newcastle will be a further stage in the programme, followed by Stafford and East Staffordshire and the final phase will be the Moorlands, South Staffordshire and Lichfield with all building work completed in 2021.
The Manifesto is the visioning document that will underpin the Building Staffordshire's Future. One of the measures of success of the programme will be delivering the 10 outcomes in the Manifesto. It is the outcome of over a year of planning and consultation on the priorities we have set and the targets we aspire to reach through this investment. During the public consultation process we will be seeking opinions about the Manifesto, how we deliver the outcomes and if people think they are the outcomes we need to transform education.
Academies will form part of the consultation process for the BSF programme but as yet no decisions have been made about specific options. Academies must be part of a wider solution that offer improved options for young people that help to transform education in Staffordshire.
No decisions about individual schools have been made yet as part of Staffordshire's Building Schools for the Future programme. We are at the start of a consultation period that will take place over the next year.
As with any major capital development programme consultation is an integral part of the process to ensure that BSF presents options that best represent everyone. During the consultation we will seek the opinions of teachers, staff, governors, young people and the general public.
Whilst good results can be found in bad buildings and bad results in good buildings the research behind BSF suggests that all pupils benefit from improved facilities and a modern learning environment. By building 21st Century schools we will empower teachers to teach to the best of their ability and pupils are more motivated to learn in an environment which encourages engagement with learning.
As with any major capital investment project there will inevitably be some disruption to the local community but every effort will be taken to ensure this is kept to a minimum.
There won't be one standard design for the schools but they will all aim to make the best possible use out of the space and provide a modern and exciting learning environment. See pictures of some of our recent innovative school refurbishments.
Last Modified:
11/11/2008 10:51:55
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