BSF in Sheffield
Sheffield City Council, Vinci Construction UK and Partnerships for Schools (PfS) are working together to deliver this programme through the Sheffield Local Education Partnership (L.E.P.).
The BSF programme in Sheffield is split into two main phases, plus ICT only schools. Through the programme, all schools will receive significant investment in ICT services and equipment, with Phase 1 and 2 schools also receiving funding for rebuilding and refurbishment.
Phase 1a
• Yewlands Technology College
• Newfield (co-located with Talbot)
• Silverdale
• Talbot Specialist School (co-located with Newfield)
All Phase 1a schools have been constructed and are open to students. Newfield, Talbot and Silverdale, which all opened in January 2009, are funded by and operate under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Yewlands Technology College Phase 1 opened in September 2008, with Phase 2 of the scheme completed in September 2009.
The new build co-located Newfield and Talbot Specialist Schools benefit from shared facilities and are working together to promote inclusion practice through collaboration. The new ICT managed service is operational in all the schools enabling the 24hr curriculum to become reality. The newly opened schools have been commended by PfS for their design merit and for promoting educational aspirations. Civica has received an award for the best ICT managed service in the BSF programme and Sheffield LEP has been highly commended.
Phase 1b
• Firth Park Community Arts College
• High Storrs
• Spring Lane Personalised Learning Centre (PLC)
• Seven Hills Special School (co-located & aligned construction with All Saints)
These schools are currently under construction. The refurbishment of the grade II listed High Storrs will lead the construction programme, with work on the first refurbishment phase due to be completed by February 2010. Firth Park will receive new ICT investment and redevelopment of sports facilities. Refurbishment and some new build at Spring Lane will enable co-location the KS3 and KS4 Personalised Learning Centres. Seven Hills Special school will be a new build school benefiting from co-location with the mainstream All Saints School. Construction completion dates for all Phase 1b schools range from June 2010 to November 2011.
Phase 2a
• All Saints Catholic High (co-located & aligned construction with Seven Hills)
• Bents Green Special School
• Forge Valley (replacing Myers Grove / Wisewood schools)
Work on All Saints has commenced and the refurbished All Saints will benefit from co-operation and collaboration with the new co-located Seven Hills. Bents Green Special School will include a new three storey teaching block and refurbishment to provide 21st century residential care facilities for young people with complex learning needs and again construction is underway. The new build Forge Valley will replace Myers Grove and Wisewood schools and is due to commence construction in the Spring 2010. Proposed construction completion dates for all Phase 2a schools range from August 2011 to January 2013.
Phase 2b
• Bradfield
• City Business and Enterprise College
• King Edwards VII
• Parkwood High
• Stocksbridge High
Bradfield will be a new build school funded and operated by Paradigm under PFI. Parkwood High is to be an Academy, which will be sponsored by Edutrust Academies charitable Trust (EACT). King Edwards VII is a grade II listed school, which will be refurbished. City and Stocksbridge High will also be refurbished, with all schools benefiting from new ICT investment. All these schools are undergoing detailed design.
Phase 2c
• Abbeydale Grange
• Birley Community College
• Handsworth Grange
• Notre Dame Catholic High
All Phase 2c schools will include refurbishment of existing sites with new ICT investment.
ICT Only Schools
In additional to the schools listed in Phase 2, the schools listed below will receive ICT investment, with little or no construction work to be carried out.
• Chaucer Business and Enterprise College
• Ecclesfield
• Fir Vale
• Heritage Park Community Special School
• Hinde House
• Holgate Meadows Community Special School
• King Ecgbert
• Meadowhead
• Tapton
• Westfield Sports College
Sheffield L.E.P. is currently working on the initial proposals and programme of work for Phase 2b, 2c and ICT only schools. The forecast for completion for the entire BSF programme in Sheffield is 2013.
ICT in BSF
ICT is central to the transformation of learning agenda in BSF in Sheffield. The City Council, through the learning and achievement service, is working with Sheffield LEP, and with the ICT supplier, Civica, to develop and deliver our vision for ICT and eLearning through the BSF programme. The value of capital investment is up to £40 million over the life of the programme, making BSF the largest ICT capital investment we have ever made. Civica are currently preparing for the opening of the January 2009 BSF schools and they are working with us on developing plans for the rest of the BSF estate.
ICT and eLearning in Sheffield
Sheffield has a long record of leading developments in ICT. Through high-profile projects such as the South Yorkshire e-Learning Project and our network of five City Learning Centres, the city has made great strides way in recent years to realise the potential of ICT and e-Learning. The BSF programme will bring together schools and their communities with the LA, CLCs and the LEP to deliver an exciting and transformational vision for e-Learning in the 21st century.
Learning & achievement service
Sheffield’s Learning & Achievement Service leads on the Transformational Learning Strategy (TLS), and BSF is recognised as the key driver of change in the secondary sector in the city. These posts will sit within LAS, and will make a major contribution to the change management aspects of the TLS.