Transforming schools and transforming lives
 Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the biggest-ever school buildings investment programme and will see every state secondary school in England, around 3,500 in total, rebuilt or remodeled over the lifetime of the programme.
Agripower Contractors are unrivalled in this field and has an unmatched experience of working in an active school environment on both Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects for main contractors and directly for the schools themselves.
The delivery of the BSF programme is overseen by Partnerships for Schools (PfS), a non departmental public body formed through a joint venture between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Partnerships UK and private sector partners.
 Launched by the Department for Education & Skills in February 2004, BSF is the largest and most ambitious scheme of its kind anywhere in the world. It will transform education for some 3.3 million students aged 11-19.
The scale of BSF enables local authorities to move from patch and mend spending on schools to rebuild and renewal, with a more strategic approach to funding, design, procurement and management of buildings.
BSF is not just a building programme: The programme aims to create learning environments which inspire all young people to unlock hidden talents and reach their full potential; provide teachers with 21st century work places; and provide access to facilities which can be used by all members of the local community.
Funding: On average £2.5-£3 billion of capital investment is being spent on the programme each year. The Comprehensive Spending Review settlement for 2008-11 gives £9.3 billion for the BSF programme over three years.
Sustainability: The BSF programme is committed to reducing carbon emissions from schools, with all buildings making the most of sustainable features to help protect the environment and reduce overheads. In some schools students can monitor the amount of energy consumed, rainwater is used to flush toilets, and recycled materials are used for construction.
Private finance initiative (PFI)
The private finance initiative (PFI) provides a way of funding major capital investments, without immediate recourse to the public purse. Private consortia, usually involving large construction firms, are contracted to design, build, and in some cases manage new projects. Contracts typically last for 30 years, during which time the building is leased by a public authority. This section of the site gives guidance to contractors and DH staff on contracts, current news and updates, as well as facts, figures and further information. |
