Decision details

To set out the Building Schools for the Future model and its implications for the Council

Joint Responsibility: Leader and Deputy Leader

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was a substantial national investment programme intended to transform secondary school education with the potential to deliver in the region of £600m of capital investment to Oxfordshire's schools. Cabinet considered a report (CA6) providing an up to date account of progress made towards securing entry to the national BSF programme, describing the next steps to be taken and identifying a number of financial challenges which the Council and its schools will need to address. 

The following amendment to paragraph 29 was noted:

Line 4 £3.4m to read £4.4m and that the shortfall would occur over 2 years – 2014/15 and 2015/16 - and not just the first year (2014/15) as stated in the report.

Councillor Waine called for all schools to commit to this initiative and stressed the need to achieve a BREEAM level of ‘very good’ as an absolute minimum moving to excellent.  He also confirmed that sprinkler systems were provided in extensive/new build projects but confirmed that it was not always feasible to provide those systems where less extensive programmes of work were being undertaken.

RESOLVED:

(a)       confirm the Cabinet’s commitment to the BSF programme;

(b)       confirm that the Cabinet wished officers to continue to seek to have Oxfordshire brought into the national BSF programme as soon as possible and fully engage with all relevant stakeholders and partners;

(c)               confirm that, unless or until such time as the requirements change, the Cabinet understood that the default model for the delivery of BSF was through a Local Education Partnership unless otherwise agreed with DCSF and Partnership for Schools subject to value for money consideration; and

(d)               acknowledge that, under the current regime, new schools delivered through the BSF programme would be predominately procured through PFI and that refurbishments would be procured through capital grant.