School building programme scrapped

Friday July 9, 2010

Building projects at thirteen local schools have been scrapped as part of the Government's announcement that the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme has been halted.

Bringing an end to BSF pogramme, Education Secretary Michael Gove said: “In the light of the public finances, it would have been irresponsible to carry on regardless with an inflexible, and needlessly complex programme.”

Mr Gove said the £55 billion scheme, which could have seen new classrooms and other buildings constructed at more than 700 schools across the UK, was “unrealistic” and the budget to deliver the project had never been fully-funded.

He said the black hole in the Department of Education’s finances could not be allowed to continue and, in any case, the BSF plans did not represent value for money.

The capital review team will now look at every area of education capital spending in an effort to drive down costs, get buildings more quickly and direct more money to the frontline.

Mr Gove insisted that the priority for public funding should be to create more primary school places amid a London-wide surge in the birth rate.

Meanwhile, Fulham parent Elizabeth Worrall, whose daughter goes to Lady Margaret school said; “ I am extremely concerned about the cancellation of the BSF programme which will have a massive impact on our local schools.”

While scaling back of the programme was widely anticipated, as part of the reigning in of public spending, the scrapping of the BSF programme for all 13 secondary and special schools in H&F has shocked some headteachers.

Sir William Atkinson, head of Phoenix High School in Shepherd's Bush, said: “It is devastating news.” He added that children faced an unfair, “two-speed” education system with some pupils in dazzling new facilities while others were condemned to “antiquated, inadequate buildings. These are buildings with concrete that is beginning to crumble, iron pipe-work which has been fractured, with lots of leaks and flat roofs which are constantly leaking.”

Town hall education chiefs will now begin to work with schools and the Department for Education on a revised affordable capital programme for primary, secondary, special and post-16 provision in the borough.