The BSF programme is administered on behalf of government by Partnerships for Schools (PfS).  Early on in the preparation process for BSF, authorities are required to review their school estate (with regard to the condition, location and capacity of schools) and to set out their proposals for reshaping the estate in the future. One of the first key documents that LEAs are required to produce is called the “Strategy for Change” (SfC).  Click here for a link to the PfS website.

Part One of the Strategy for Change provides a summary of an authority’s existing school estate.  This is subsequently developed into a detailed future estates strategy in Part Two. Proposals developed in the Strategy for Change go forward into the Outline Business Case that forms the basis of an authority’s proposals for its BSF programme.

From a property perspective we understand that the estate strategy has to be driven by the educational demands of schools and that education matters will take priority over property matters. However, without assessing sites at an early stage it is possible to overlook the potential for identifying surplus land – even complete surplus sites - the value of which could contribute greatly towards funding shortfalls that might emerge as strategies evolve*.

The work that we undertake at this early stage with LEAs, and with individual schools, enables decisions to be made that will optimise educational assets. Time and care invested early on can add value and create better outcomes for the school/s.

* As a footnote, we are aware of current DCSF practice to demand the repayment of 50% (or more!) of capital receipts arising under BSF proposals. We are also aware that with current economic pressures at unprecedented levels the demand from the centre to recover capital receipts is increasing. We can work with authorities to help them minimise the claw back, to look at ways of ring fencing disposals outside the BSF / PCP process and / or to deal with disposals within a Local Education Partnership (LEP) as part of a consortia’s financial proposals, thereby extending the reach of the LEP into more projects.