The biggest difference is the sheer scale of the the BSF programme. Oldham Council has secured £200 million, the most money Oldham has ever had to spend on education. This will mean that every secondary school in the Borough will be affected in some way.
The traditional money Oldham Council has to spend on schools is still available, though this is extremely small in comparison to the money that BSF will provide. Use of the Council’s existing resources is limited to ‘patching and mending’ schools, rather than the complete transformation BSF would bring.
Many of Oldham’s school buildings have served generations of children well, but are no longer suitable to equip students with the skills they will need to meet the challenges they will face in the future. Oldham’s school results are improving year on year. However, BSF will help to raise standards further and provide the state of the art facilities that our students deserve.
The programme will mean that all children and young people in Oldham benefit from well-designed and efficient, modern secondary school buildings and facilities, and that we continue to raise educational attainment for Oldham’s children. Schools will also be able to make their improved facilities available to the wider community so more people can benefit.
BSF will provide Oldham with a new generation of schools which will serve students and the whole community for decades to come. BSF will also provide the opportunity for young people from all Oldham’s different communities to learn and grow up together.
Britain, like all other developed countries, is facing increased competition and this means that for young people to succeed they will need more skills and better qualifications than ever before.
Many school buildings are of poor design and are inappropriate to the way education will be delivered in future. To raise educational standards, existing schools need to be made better and new school buildings must be well designed and built to be suitable to the needs of education in future years.
Today’s schools need to be able to accommodate a more diverse curriculum, new ways of learning and new technology. Schools also need to provide resources for the community as a whole, including pupils with special educational needs. As new school buildings will serve their communities for many years to come it is important that they are high quality, attractive buildings, but also flexibile enough to adapt to future challenges.
Some schools are no longer suitable for modern needs and to provide the top class education deserved by all of the Borough’s children and young people. There is also a declining school population and a need to give young people from all Oldham’s diverse communities the opportunity to learn and grow up together so the Borough does not again suffer the past problems it has had with community cohesion.
It is important that the Council acts now to ensure schools continue to thrive and continue to develop in the long term. The whole of the secondary school provision is being looked at to ensure there are the right number of schools in the right places.
The proposals around BSF are in their early stages and no school will be closed without full consultation with students, parents and staff.
Several possible sites for new schools have been identified and are now being evaluated.
No. The development will be arranged over a number of phases, to ensure that we minimise the disruption to pupils and staff while this takes place. This means that the entire building programme is likely to take several years to complete.
It is anticipated that the new schools would be open from 2012.
It is too early to say at this stage, however every effort will be made to minimise any moves of this kind. We have experience of addressing these issues successfully with the new Failsworth and Radclyffe schools.
There is no reason to avoid a particular school just because it is named as closing. At this stage it is not possible to specify when, and indeed if, schools will close and when new schools will open. Parents can be assured however that new state of the art facilities will be available to their children when particular schools close.
Key to the success of this venture is keeping the high quality staff currently in our schools and successful recruitment in the meantime. As the scheme progresses, therefore, the Council is committed to working closely with schools, unions and staff to ensure stability and continuity.
All schools have been involved in the discussions so far and share and are committed to the overall vision. It is important to say that, for this project to succeed, it is essential that all schools are involved.
We have experience of addressing this issue successfully with the new Failsworth and The Radclyffe schools. It is at the forefront of the Council’s mind to ensure that when the programme does start there is minimal negative impact on any young person’s education during the transition. This is all about improving opportunities for our children and young people.
There will be no direct impact on primary schools.
BSF funding is available for secondary schools only. However the Government has announced a separate pot of money for investment in primary schools, which we are currently planning for.
Depending upon the outcome of the consultation it is possible that the specialist status of some schools may change.
Yes - consultation meetings will be held to gauge opinion on proposals. Following the outcome of the consultation, Oldham Council will consider the proposals and decide the outcome. The Secretary of State for Education will make the final decisions about the proposed academies. Neighbours of any new school will be able to express their views via the planning process.
We are keen to involve staff and pupils in working with us to ensure that any proposed school will meet their realistic requirements.
Yes - as a new build or refurbishment the facilities created will comply with the latest legislation. Compared to many existing school buildings, it is an opportunity to substantially improve accessibility and inclusion.
Yes. Locally, the planning process will consider transport issues of pupils in due course and the internal design of the school will take into consideration pupil flows and their needs. There will be no change to the Council's transport policy as a result of this scheme.
There will then be full consultation in early 2008, with everyone in Oldham given the opportunity to express their views.
There are many national websites that provide detailed information about BSF. These include:
Oldham also has a dedicated BSF website page and fact sheet: www.oldham.gov.uk/learning/bsf If you have any further questions please email cypf.bsf@oldham.gov.uk or call 0161 770 3287
Oldham Council is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites