Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Leader

Forward Plan Ref: 2009/126

Contact: Roy Leach, Lead Officer, School Organisation & Planning Tel: (01865) 816458

Report by Director for Children, Young People & Families

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a substantial national investment programme intended to transform secondary school education. It has the potential to deliver in the region of £600m of capital investment to Oxfordshire's schools. The report provides an up to date account of progress made towards securing entry to the national BSF programme, describes the next steps to be taken and identifies a number of financial challenges which the Council and its schools will need to address.  For Oxfordshire to be brought into the national BSF programme it is necessary for the County Council to demonstrate that it is committed to a number of key principles: the establishment of a Local Education Partnership; delivery of substantially rebuilt schools through the Private Finance Initiative; adequate revenue funding to support procurement; and securing sufficient resources to bridge any 'affordability gap' between the funding allocated and that required to deliver the Council's and schools' visions for the transformation of education. 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)               Confirm it’s commitment to the BSF programme;

(b)              Confirm that it wishes 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, it understands that the default model for the delivery of BSF is 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 will be predominately procured through PFI and that refurbishments will be procured through capital grant.

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.