What is Building Schools for the Future?

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a long-term programme of investment and change in England that will help transform education for secondary age students by providing 21st century learning environments that engage and inspire young people, their teachers and the wider community.

BSF was launched by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DSCF, formerly the Department for Education and Skills) in February 2003. At the launch of the programme, David Miliband Schools Minister at the time, said that: “School buildings should inspire learning. They should nurture every pupil and member of staff. They should be a source of pride and a practical resource for the community.”

Partnerships for Schools is the government agency tasked with delivering BSF. PfS is also now responsible for helping to deliver the government’s commitment to build up to 400 Academies.

New procurement approach
Managing large-scale investment in a local area, over an extended period, requires a new approach to procurement. The ‘old’ way of putting individual school building projects out to tender is unlikely to produce value for money or secure a flow of well-designed and constructed buildings given the scale and complexity of the programme.
Local authorities are expected to set up a Local Education Partnership (LEP), a new concept developed for BSF.

A LEP is a public private partnership bringing together three organisations:
- the local authority
- a private sector partner (PSP) (usually a consortium of private companies including the building contractor)
- Building Schools for the Future Investments LLP (BSFI).

A LEP is a joint venture company, with the public and private sectors working together with common aims, sharing certain risks and rewards However, for some local authorities with very small projects a LEP might not be the most cost-effective method.

Partnerships for Schools (PfS)
PfS was set up by the DCSF and Partnerships UK (PUK) to manage and deliver the whole national BSF programme. PfS is also responsible for delivering the government’s commitment to build 400 Academies. PfS works alongside DCSF, 4ps and other national partner organisations, such as Becta and CABE to deliver the national programme. PfS is a non departmental public body (NDPB) and is a joint venture between DCSF and PUK.