Council names Building Schools for the Future partner

Hollingworth Business and Enterprise College Visualisation

Rochdale Borough Council has chosen a partner to work on its £196 million Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Programme to transform the borough’s secondary schools.

‘Inspiredspaces’, a Carillion-led joint consortium, will become the council’s local education partner, responsible for rebuilding and refurbishing fourteen schools across the borough. This appointment is made subject to formal council and procurement protocols, with contract signature expected in early December 2009.

The project starts in January 2010 with the construction of new and refurbished facilities at Hollingworth Business and Enterprise College and Siddal Moor Sports College.

Over the period up to Christmas, the ‘Inspiredspaces’ consortium, the Council and BSFI/Partnerships for Schools will finalise how they plan to deliver the programme, before signing a ten year partnership contract to rebuild four schools and refurbish/remodel the borough’s eight other secondary schools.

Via BSF, the Brownhill Federation will receive substantial investment. The Pupil Referral Unit at Darnhill will be completely rebuilt, whilst Brownhill School and the Pupil Referral Unit at Saxon Hall will be significantly remodelled and refurbished.

Over the next 3 years, all secondary schools will see major investment in ICT.

Siddal Moor Sports College in Heywood will be the first to be remodelled and refurbished, transforming the student experience with new and improved teaching and enhanced community/sport facilities.

Hollingworth Business and Enterprise College in Milnrow will benefit from exciting new learning spaces and high quality public facilities, to support the college’s delivery of extended and community services.

Councillor Zulfiqar Ali, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families, said the announcement of the council’s selected bidder and the proposed designs of the first two schools will keep the transformation of education in the borough firmly on track: "Our vision is ambitious, and we believe not only will the schools make a huge difference to our standards of education, but they will help transform communities. All our students, teachers and the local community will benefit enormously from this investment.”

Carillion Chief Executive, John McDonough, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed as preferred bidder for this major investment programme. As a leading supplier to the BSF programme we look forward to building a strong and successful relationship with Rochdale, its head teachers and their staff, to provide schools and colleges that will enable them to deliver a first-class learning experience, as well as providing high-quality community facilities.”

Tim Byles, CEO of Partnerships for Schools, the organisation responsible for the national Building Schools for the Future programme, added: "Reaching this important milestone is good news for the national BSF programme and even better news for the school children and communities of the Rochdale borough. These transformed learning environments and technology will have an enormous impact on education and the life chances of every young person.”