The Building Schools for the Future Programme
The Building Schools for the Future Programme

Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 9780102954593

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(BSF) programme believe that it is leading to more strategic procurement of school infrastructure than previous school building programmes. Local Authorities are using BSF to rearrange the location, type and number of schools in their area and create facilities and school environments which support their educational objectives. BSF schools are built to higher specifications and space standards than previous schools. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and Partnerships for Schools (the body established by DCSF to manage the BSF programme centrally) were too optimistic in their assumptions of how quickly the first schools could be delivered. By December 2008, only 42 of the planned 200 schools had been built, with 54 due to open next year and 121 the year after. To include all schools in the programme, 250 schools will need to be built a year and the number of schools in procurement and construction at any one time will need to double from 2011 onwards. The extent to which problems in the finance markets will affect BSF is still unclear. DCSF and Partnerships for Schools estimate that the total cost of renewing the school estate will be between £52 billion to £55 billion which is £7 billion to £10 billion more than was estimated at the outset of the programme.

Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2009-06-11

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 9780215530714

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The Department for Children, Schools and Families' Building Schools for the Future Programme (BSF) plans to renew every secondary school in the country, by rebuilding half of them, structurally remodelling 35 per cent, refurbishing 15 per cent and providing Information Communication Technology to all. Its aim is to use capital investment in new buildings as a catalyst to improve educational outcomes. The Department estimates that the programme will cost £52-£55 billion over its lifetime. The Department was over-optimistic in its original planning assumptions for BSF: of the 200 schools originally planned to be completed by December 2008, only 42 had been by that date. The Department now expects the programme to take 18 years, with the last school completed in 2023. Local authorities are responsible for the local delivery of BSF. They plan, procure and manage the BSF school buildings. In 2004, the Department established Partnerships for Schools to manage the national delivery of the programme. The Department and Partnerships for Schools encourage local authorities to procure their schools through a Local Education Partnership. These are 10-year partnerships to procure a flow of projects, structured as joint ventures between the local authority, a consortium of private companies that build, finance and maintain schools, and Building Schools for the Future Investments. It is too early to conclude whether BSF will achieve its educational objectives. To date, over-optimism has meant the programme could not live up to expectations. Establishing Partnerships for Schools to manage the programme centrally has helped local authorities to deliver more effectively, but while Local Education Partnerships have potential advantages, their value for money is yet to be proven. And it will be very challenging to deliver all schools by 2023.

Building Schools
Building Schools

Author: Leo Care

Publisher: Birkhäuser

Published: 2015-07-31

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 3038215473

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For some time now, school buildings have represented an important field in architecture, and there is an enduring interest in the challenges this design task presents. This publication explains in eleven chapters the central parameters for this architectural typology: The role of the school in the community or neighborhood, questions of sustainability, flexible spaces for learning, the role of furniture, participation in the design process, learning outside the classroom, landscape design, opportunities and challenges of special schools, and the role of new pedagogical concepts. Each theme is thoroughly investigated and illustrated with numerous buildings presenting model solutions for specific problems or aspects.

Preparing to Deliver the 14-19 Education Reforms in England
Preparing to Deliver the 14-19 Education Reforms in England

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 9780215523648

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The 14-19 education reform programme aims to increase young people's participation in education and training beyond age 16 and raise their educational attainment. Central to the programme are new Diploma qualifications, being introduced between September 2008 and 2013, in 14 different occupational areas that offer a blend of academic and vocational learning. This report examines: giving all young people access to Diplomas; reducing complexity and communicating simply; and having the capability to deliver the reforms. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (the Department) has involved universities and employers in designing the Diplomas and developing their content. As new qualifications, there is still much work to be done to convince parents, employers and universities that Diplomas are a credible alternative to existing qualifications. To help make the qualifications more understandable, the Department and its partners need to demonstrate clearly how Diplomas will help young people progress into further learning and employment. By 2013, the Department is aiming for all young people in England to have access to all 14 Diplomas at three different skill levels. The Department has spent £590 million on the programme. It has not yet established cost estimates built up from the local level for delivering Diplomas, and has only just begun surveying local authorities to assess their capital requirements.

The Academies Programme
The Academies Programme

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Committee of Public Accounts

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-10-18

Total Pages: 54

ISBN-13: 9780215036445

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An academy is a new type of school that is publicly funded, supported by one or more sponsors and operates independently of the local authority. Their aim is to raise achievement standards in deprived areas by replacing poorly performing schools or by providing new school places where they are needed. 83 academies were in operation by September 2007, with plans for 200 academies to be opened by 2010 at a capital cost of around £5 billion. Following on from a NAO report on this topic (HCP 254, session 2006-07; ISBN 9780102944426) published in February 2007, the Committee's report examines the progress of the Academies Programme and whether it is on track to achieve its objectives. Findings include: i) the average capital cost of the first new-build academies was £27 million, compared with between £20-22 million for other new secondary schools; ii) exclusions of pupils are higher on average from academies that other schools; and iii) although there are signs of progress being made, such as improvements at GCSE and key stage 3 levels, achievements in literacy and numeracy levels are lower than other secondary schools and it is too early to tell whether rising attainment is sustainable. Academies need to collaborate more with other secondary schools and lessons need to be learned from completed academy projects in terms of improving project management and reducing cost overruns.

The Special School's Handbook
The Special School's Handbook

Author: Michael Farrell

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2007-08-07

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 1134116020

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Giving an up-to-date picture of the work of special schools, this practical and informative book provides an invaluable and timely companion for anyone teaching or planning to teach in special schools in the United Kingdom. Using case studies of good practice to provide clear suggestions on how special schools may be further developed, the wide-ranging chapters address topics such as: adapting the curriculum to give special schools more flexibility implications of Every Child Matters and multi-professional working organisational changes in special schools the changing roles of staff in the modern special school ways of assessing the progress and achievement of pupils working with parents. With a no-nonsense, non-academic approach, and with each chapter featuring think points and suggestion for further study, The Special School's Handbook contains a wealth of invaluable information, resources and advice and is a handy reference book which staff can dip in and out of at their leisure.

Sustainable schools
Sustainable schools

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Education and Skills Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2007-08-09

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 9780215035967

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Incorporating HCP 1150-i to v, session 2005-06. For Vol. 1 see (ISBN 9780215035974)

Design for the Changing Educational Landscape
Design for the Changing Educational Landscape

Author: Andrew Harrison

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-15

Total Pages: 570

ISBN-13: 1134482043

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The whole landscape of space use is undergoing a radical transformation. In the workplace a period of unprecedented change has created a mix of responses with one overriding outcome observable worldwide: the rise of distributed space. In the learning environment the social, political, economic and technological changes responsible for this shift have been further compounded by constantly developing theories of learning and teaching, and a wide acceptance of the importance of learning as the core of the community, resulting in the blending of all aspects of learning into one seamless experience. This book attempts to look at all the forces driving the provision and pedagogic performance of the many spaces, real and virtual, that now accommodate the experience of learning and provide pointers towards the creation and design of learning-centred communities. Part 1 looks at the entire learning universe as it now stands, tracks the way in which its constituent parts came to occupy their role, assesses how they have responded to a complex of drivers and gauges their success in dealing with renewed pressures to perform. It shows that what is required is innovation within the spaces and integration between them. Part 2 finds many examples of innovation in evidence across the world – in schools, the higher and further education campus and in business and cultural spaces – but an almost total absence of integration. Part 3 offers a model that redefines the learning landscape in terms of learning outcomes, mapping spatial requirements and activities into a detailed mechanism that will achieve the best outcome at the most appropriate scale. By encouraging stakeholders to creating an events-based rather than space-based identity, the book hopes to point the way to a fully-integrated learning landscape: a learning community.

Cultural Geographies
Cultural Geographies

Author: John Horton

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-08

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 1317753682

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Cultural geography is a major, vibrant subdiscipline of human geography. Cultural geographers have done some of the most important, exciting and thought-provokingly zesty work in human geography over the last half-century. This book exists to provide an introduction to the remarkably diverse, controversial, and sometimes-infuriating work of cultural geographers. The book outlines how cultural geography in its various forms provides a rich body of research about cultural practices and politics in diverse contexts. Cultural geography offers a major resource for exploring the importance of cultural materials, media, texts and representations in particular contexts and is one of the most theoretically adventurous subdisciplines within human geography, engaging with many important lines of social and cultural theory. The book has been designed to provide an accessible, wide-ranging and thought-provoking introduction for students studying cultural geography, or specific topics within this subdiscipline. Through a wide range of case studies and learning activities, it provides an engaging introduction to cultural geography.

Financial Management in the Department for Children, Schools and Families
Financial Management in the Department for Children, Schools and Families

Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 48

ISBN-13: 9780102954777

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The Department for Children, Schools and Families has made progress in improving its financial management, with strong commitment at senior management and board level. The Department's ability to reach a high standard of financial management depends partly on successful working with local authorities, other partner organisations, and the schools themselves. It does, however, face specific challenges, including the need for better strategic management of its large capital programme, and to encourage better financial management in schools. The Department has built up a large capital underspend, which increased from £1.9 billion at 31 March 2008 to around £2.4 billion at the end of March 2009. Its capital expenditure programme will need to be carefully managed given the history of underspending and the challenge of bringing forward £924 million of expenditure from 2010-11 to 2009-10 as part of the Government's fiscal stimulus. At March 2008, schools in England had a net cumulative surplus of £1.9 billion. Only 1 in 5 local authorities reduced their total net school surplus in 2007-08. Local authorities are accountable for school spending and the Department should encourage them to redistribute excessive uncommitted surpluses in line with local needs. The Department was, in 2007, one of three departments which had not implemented in-year accruals accounting systems, which would help to improve the accuracy of financial forecasting and reporting. The planned introduction of a shared services arrangement for finance with procurement and personnel support should also help improve financial management and lead to efficiencies.