"We are ecstatic at the news and I am delighted for the people of Tamworth. Building Staffordshire's Future is a fantastic opportunity that will provide vital investment in Tamworth and be an excellent starting point to begin improving and transforming education throughout the whole county." Deputy Leader Robert Simpson

Green light to invest £100 million in Tamworth

In a statement, Jim Knight, Schools Minister, confirmed that the county council's early bid to join the Building Schools for the Future programme has been successful. Staffordshire is one of eight local authorities to be fast-tracked to join the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme from this summer. Mr Knight said:

"This is outstanding news for children, parents, teachers in these communities".

"Building Schools for the Future will transform the shape of education in every single community and future generations will reap the rewards of these fantastic new learning environments and facilities."

In welcoming the news Deputy Leader, County Councillor Robert Simpson said:

"We are ecstatic at the news and I am delighted for the people of Tamworth. Building Staffordshire's Future is a fantastic opportunity that will provide vital investment in Tamworth and be an excellent starting point to begin improving and transforming education throughout the whole county. It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It will improve the lives of generations of young people, their families and communities beyond all recognition over the next ten years."

"The Department for Children, Schools and Families and its delivery agency Partnerships for Schools (PfS) have confirmed that they decided to accelerate the county council's bid, based on our ability to manage large-scale investment programmes and our early plans to transform secondary education in their areas".

There is a video with Deputy Leader Robert Simpson available here following the Building Schools for the future announcement.

Following detailed consultation with Tamworth head teachers, a proposed structure for education in the district was submitted as part of the bid. The proposal, which will go to full public consultation in the autumn, would see all current secondary sites retained with Queen Elizabeth's Mercian School becoming the sixth form centre for the district and Woodhouse Business and Enterprise College becoming an academy.

Councillor Simpson added: "There are a number of big issues that BSF will be able to address including facilities that are no longer fit for purpose, a lower than average number of students going into further and higher education and poor post-16 performance. We believe strongly that a radical solution is required to make sure young people in Tamworth achieve to their full potential.

"BSF will bring great improvements to Tamworth and I would encourage the community to embrace the changes this programme will bring as positive.

"The success of our bid is due to the detailed planning and consultation that has taken place over the past year. I would like to thank all of the county council staff who worked so hard on the bid.'

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, said:

"These eight authorities, drawn from across the country, have already been thinking and planning carefully for their Building Schools for the Future projects and have shown they are ready to hit the ground running".

Consultation on the proposals for Tamworth will take place between October and December 2008 and will be open to everyone to participate in. Following the consultation period, building work could begin in 2011. More detailed timescales will be announced during the public consultation in the autumn term.

To find out more and how to get involved visit our website: www.staffordshire.gov.uk/bsf