More school input needed for BSF

20 January 2009

Greater involvement by school employees, parents and local elected representatives is needed in the government’s flagship school building programme to avoid poor designs.

The document Founded on Local Vision: Reforming Building Schools for the Future suggests local authorities get more freedom to design and pilot their own procurement procedures.

The 30-page document, from New Local Government Network, argues for central bodies to loosen their hold on the reins of the government’s £45 billion Building Schools for the Future programme.

The document points to a report by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) which found that eight in 10 design proposals were either “mediocre” or “not yet good enough”. CABE chief executive Richard Simmons said: “What we need is a design threshold which will prevent bad schemes from continuing through the system... It should not be acceptable for public money to be used to procure poorly designed schools.”

It is recommended that a “BSF Best Practice Forum” be set up to include Partnerships for Schools, CABE, Local Government Association and other private experts and leaders in local government procurement to share best practice and advice. This body could also offer additional up-skilling on the procurement process.

The document is available free on the home page of New Local Government Network.