BSF Programme Update

Update for December 2007

2007 has been a very busy year in the delivery of BSF, including Sunderland Model academies. As the year draws to a close, we can reflect on some tremendous achievements. As we look forward to 2008, we continue to plan for an exciting future for Sunderland's children and young people.

The year in brief - read more about many of these stories on other pages on the site

January

• Formal approval of Strategic Business Case (SBC) which had been developed throughout 2006 as the Sunderland Model took shape.

February

• Formal approval of Outline Business Case (OBC), enabling the Council to finalise project funding and move on to the procurement stage.
• Sunderland City Council leaders agree to commit up to £4.5 million to ‘top up’ the £110 million of funding available from national resources.

March

• Discussions with potential bidders to design and build six new schools get under way.
• PFS National Framework Agreement launched, with Sunderland one of the first local authorities to use it.
• Sunderland's ICT procurement commences.

April

• The first Design Quality Indicator (DQI) workshop at the Stadium of Light marks the start of a comprehensive programme of design consultation with school pupils, staff and governors - beginning the journey to translate vision into reality.

May

• Statutory consultation takes place on four schools which must close to pave the way for three new Sunderland Model academies planned for Castle View, Hylton Red House and Pennywell / Quarry View.

June

• Oxclose Community School, one of the first BSF schools in the country, is opened by Schools Minister Jim Knight MP.

• School pupils, staff and governors engage in further DQI sessions at the Stadium of Light.

July / August

• Funding agreements are signed, concluding the feasibility stage of plans to establish three Sunderland Model Academies and enabling their implementation - starting with the establishment of Academy Trusts.

September

• A final DQI session is held, giving pupils the chance to engage in workshop sessions with their teachers and governors, to receive design presentations by the final two competing bidders, and to assess their findings.

October

• Following months of competition, Balfour Beatty Construction is unveiled as the preferred bidder to design and build six new schools including three Sunderland Model academies.

November:

• A revised guide to the city's innovative BSF programme is launched, including news about Sunderland Model academies.
• The new Chief Executive of the academy to replace Pennywell and Quarry View is announced as Paul Prest.

December:

• Sunderland's BSF Design Showcase at the National Glass Centre invites key stakeholders to view initial designs, generating keen interest far beyond Sunderland.
• The preferred bidder to deliver the ICT managed service for the first phase of Sunderland's BSF programme is recommended to the Council's cabinet.

Preferred bidder selected for six new schools

Sunderland City Council has announced that Balfour Beatty Construction will be their preferred bidder to design and build six new schools, including three "Sunderland Model" academies, as part of their Building Schools for the Future programme.

Read more about this announcement

In keeping with the innovative 'Sunderland Model', which continues to receive national interest, the council has engaged with key stakeholders including academy lead sponsors in its evaluation process

Engagement with schools is key to helping the BSF Team to deliver transformational teaching and learning in Sunderland. A key part of our evaluation process has been the involvement of schools in the discussions with the client design teams and bidding consortia.

The intensive programme of consultation started in spring 2007 and continued throughout the summer. This programme was designed to ensure that schools are central to the negotiations. Consultation events included the Design Quality Indicators (DQIs) programme.

Design Quality Indicators (DQIs)

We have engaged with all of our BSF Phase One schools in the DQI process.

DQI workshops were held as follows :

• Wednesday, 18 April 2007 - Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• Monday, 18 June 2007 - Stadium of Light, Sunderland
• Friday, 14 September 2007 - Stanfield Centre, Sunderland

In each workshop, schools engaged with project leaders, advisers and stakeholders, sharing their visions and aspirations for their schools. This involved participation in workshops to use DQIs to help to prioritise their requirements from BSF, and to develop a checklist of priorities which relates to their own school visions. These were used in the later stages to assess the designs proposed by each of the bidding consortia.

More about the schools in Phase One of Sunderland’s BSF programme

Almost £12 million of funding has been earmarked for the redevelopment of Oxclose Community School - one of the first BSF schools in the country to be completed. Please visit our latest news page for more on this story.

This investment will be followed by approximately £110 million for the schools now being planned to complete our BSF Phase One :

• Replacement of Washington School
• A new ‘Sunderland Model’ Academy for 11 to 16 year olds, to replace the secondary school at Hylton Red House (lead sponsor Leighton Group)
• A new ‘Sunderland Model’ Academy for 11 to 16 year olds, to replace the secondary school at Castle View (lead sponsor Northumbrian Water)
• A new ‘Sunderland Model’ Academy for four to 16 year olds, to replace Pennywell School and Quarry View Primary School (lead sponsor Gentoo Group)
• Major refurbishments at Biddick and St Robert of Newminster Schools
• ICT ‘refresh’ at Sandhill View School
• Support for vocational programmes at two new skills centres in the city (at Harraton and Pallion)

For more information ...

More details are provided on the Downloads and Useful Links  page of this website.

Through this website, we will provide more information about BSF in Sunderland, including 'Sunderland Model' academies. We will include regular updates, current stories, key programme dates and details of forthcoming events.

Potential bidders may wish to express an interest in the Sunderland BSF and Academies programme through this website. Details are provided on our Team Contacts page. An alternative e-mail address is provided on our Homepage.

Thank you for your interest in Building Schools for the Future in Sunderland.

The Sunderland BSF Team.

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