The government today is making a new commitment to ensure that every new or
refurbished secondary school benefits from the highest-quality design.
The Department for Education and Skills is providing up to £2 million
over two years in additional funding to CABE
to establish a new schools design assessment panel. CABE will also provide expert
support and advice to local authorities leading up to the assessment. The new
panel will consider the designs from every construction team bidding to build
or refurbish secondary schools as the private sector partner of local authorities.
CABE will assess their proposals and provide an evaluation to each local authority.
Welcoming the 15 local authorities for wave 4 of the government's building
schools for the future initiative, Schools Minister Jim Knight said:
'CABE's increased involvement in the design and evaluation process should ensure
consistently high quality in all projects. Local authorities can be confident
that they will get excellent designs for their new secondary schools.'
CABE's team of specialist 'enablers' will help local authorities make the right
choices from the earliest stages for the 600 new or refurbished schools planned
by 50 local authorities over the next six years.
CABE chair John Sorrell added:
'Design review by CABE will mean that every one of those 600 schools should
benefit from excellent design. More than 80 per cent of those using CABE's existing
design review service have found the advice useful and agree that it has a significant
impact on the quality of new buildings. This new initiative will result in inspiring
places that will transform the way teachers teach and children learn. All the
evidence shows that well-designed schools lead to higher motivation and educational
attainment.'
Building schools for the future already aims to provide school design that
will support the transformation of children's education. Working with the Department
for Education and Skills, CABE will ensure that the opportunities for radically
improving school design are exploited to the full.
This major new initiative should ensure that there are no more badly planned
and environmentally unsustainable buildings, no more poorly lit and ventilated
classrooms, no more narrow, cramped corridors, and no more inadequate outdoor
spaces.