Building schools for the future programme moves forward
Released: 31 October 2007
Proposals that will help secure up to £300 million of investment in Wolverhampton’s secondary schools have moved a significant step forward.
Wolverhampton City Council has submitted a master plan outlining its Building Schools for the Future transformation proposals to Partnerships for Schools (PfS) - the body responsible for delivering the programme nationally.
The document outlines what is to be done in Wolverhampton as part of the Government’s Building Schools for the Future programme which is about transforming secondary education to equip every child in the city with the skills to succeed and prosper in the 21st century.
The document, the ‘Strategy for Change Part One’ will be passed by the PfS to the Department for Children, Schools and Families for consideration and ministerial approval.
Wolverhampton City Council joined the Building Schools for the Future programme in September and the draft Strategy for Change Part One was approved by Cabinet on 17 October.
Highfields Science Specialist School, Heath Park Business and Enterprise College, Penn Fields School and Tettenhall Wood School are among those schools to be re-built under the scheme.
The proposals also include establishing two new city academies that will be accessible to all - in Bilston and the north of the city. The city council will be one of the sponsors in both of the new centres of learning.
Councillor Christine Irvine, Cabinet member for Schools, said: “The submission of this document is an important step forward in Wolverhampton’s Building Schools for the Future programme.
“The programme represents hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment which will help expand and transform learning across the city of Wolverhampton.”
Roy Lockwood, director for Children and Young People, said: “Wolverhampton is already at the forefront of a number of innovative learning initiatives and is nationally recognised for work in e-learning and with 14-19 year-olds. We will now build on this excellent foundation, both literally with the refurbishment and rebuilding of our schools and through the transformation of learning.
“Wolverhampton’s children are the city’s future. Investing in their future contributes directly to the regeneration and the future prosperity of our city.
“Therefore, I hope everyone will welcome this great step forward and commit to making a positive contribution to shaping these exciting plans.”
Councillor Irvine added that the proposals presented us all - parents, teachers, children and the wider community - with tremendous opportunities and challenges and involved wide-ranging consultation with stakeholders.
She said that the academies would work with other schools to offer fair access and add to the education system, while links between primary and secondary schools would be strengthened to ease the transition of pupils between the phases, in addition to improvements in post-16 provision on school sites.
Collaborative relationships with secondary schools will also be encouraged and supported under the proposals, including the development of trust arrangements, between schools, further education providers and stakeholders, to improve education provision and place the school at the heart of the local learning community.
Skills development centres which would enhance the work of the 14-19 programme are also proposed, together with further significant investment in information technology for schools.
Nigel Combellack, head teacher of Pendeford Business and Enterprise College, supported Councillor Irvine’s vision for the Building Schools for the Future programme.
He said: “The decision to align Pendeford Business and Enterprise College and the Northicote School in preparation for Academy status is great news for the local community.
“This innovation gives us a fantastic opportunity to provide our students with the very best learning environment reflecting the demands of the 21st century.”
The Strategy for Change document is the first formal component of the Building Schools for the Future approvals process. Part One is the Key Challenges and Objectives section.
Issued by the press office.