Bristol: Building Schools for the Future

Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a national UK program to lift educational attainment through a complete transformation of all of England’s secondary schools. The 15 year program will see new schools built and existing schools upgraded to meet the needs of communities in the 21st century, supported by Information and Communications Technology (ICT).
In Bristol, the UK’s first BSF is being delivered in partnership with Skanska. The first new school to be completed under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme (one of four to be built and operated under the first phase of the development in Bristol) hosted a visit by UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, as pupils arrived for their first day in the new Bristol Brunel Academy on September 6, 2007.

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Developing the project

BSF is being delivered by a new type of Public Private Partnership (PPP) known as a Local Education Partnership (LEP) in which a Private Sector Partner (PSP) invests alongside the public sector. This LEP delivers and operates the initial schools projects and then develops new schools.
In Bristol, the country’s first LEP was established in 2006 year as a partnership between Skanska, Bristol City Council and Partnerships for Schools, the government’s BSF delivery body.
Skanska had led the project from the outset and was appointed Preferred Bidder in December 2005, with Financial Close achieved in July 2006. As the only Private Sector Partner in the LEP, Skanska and its partners provide the following services for a 25-year period:
• Estates management and program management services during a 10 year period, including all partnering services for the development and delivery of new projects
• Investment, 50% shareholding in and management of the company set up to deliver the PFI project
• Design and Construction
• Hard & Soft Facilities Management for 25 years
• ICT Managed Service

Constructing the project

The first phase of the ten year Local Education Partnership (LEP) concession period is for the replacement of four schools and campuses by a PFI Contract. The four sites involved include three replacement Secondary Schools and replacing and extending an Education Campus, which includes a Secondary School, a Primary School, a Nursery, a Special Needs School, a Vocational College and a Behavioural Unit for 11 - 16 year olds.

Partners construction

SPC: Skanska ID, Investors in the Community,
LEP: Skanska ID, Bristol City Council, Partnerships for Schools

Partners developing

• Design (Architecture) – Wilkinson Eyre Associates
• Construction – Skanska
• Maintenance, security and catering – Skanska
• ICT Managed Service – Northgate Information Solutions
• Management of leisure facilities – Skanska

Additional information

Our approach to Bristol’s LEP includes a commitment to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and a Continuous Improvement Plan that guarantee savings in future phases. These savings will exceed the LEP costs by a significant ratio – clearly demonstrating value for money. Eleven developments are currently under consideration for development by the LEP including a primary school, an Academy, 5 secondary schools a school for children with behavioural difficulties and three children’s centers.

Client

Bristol City Council

Benefits for the client

Bristol Local Educational Authority was bottom of the National League Tables for GCSE attainment, part of which was judged to be caused by the poor facilities available within the Bristol education area. These new schools are intended to address this by fostering the habit of life-long learning throughout the community.

Environment

Wherever in the world Skanska operates, it demonstrates world-class capabilities in sustainability and CSR. In Bristol’s Building Schools for the Future program, excellence in this field is driven by a series of commitments to the city’s people that were a vital part of the company’s winning bid. As well as a requirement that Skanska employs 70% local labour, the company is also required to employ apprentices, provide vocational training and offer work experience.
The project also provides longer term benefits to the environment. Each of the BSF schools is built to a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) “Very Good” standard.
• The building is constructed from sustainable materials, which contain at least 12% of recycled product. The schools are the first to be built to the Government’s Waste and Resources Action program (WRAP) target.
• Energy efficient materials, heating systems and lighting are all engineered into the building, and the designs maximise natural daylight and provide passive air circulation (engineering the building to naturally ventilate wherever possible).

In addition, a grey water recycling system utilises roof runoff to flush toilets and biomass boilers, which use wood chips from sustainable forest and recycled products. These minimise energy requirements and cost over the life of the building and provide an invaluable learning resource for the students. Flat screen televisions will be installed, displaying the energy and water use within building. Visibility panels will be engineered into the plant room walls and the grey water recycling facilities. This enables the building to become a learning resource for the students, allowing teachers to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum.

Benefits for the community

• 10 year partnership to develop the city’s schools
• 4 new schools to open 2007/2008
• A managed service for ICT
• 25-year operating contract
• A unique focus on sustainability
• Job creation
• Strong links with the local community
• Designs aimed at transforming the delivery of education in Bristol.