What is BSF?
The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme is an exciting programme that will transform all secondary, special schools and pupil referral units in Hackney by 2015. It was launched by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), now known as Department for Education, in February 2003. Hackney has more than £170 million to rebuild or renew every secondary, special schools and pupil referral unit in the borough with the aim to transform educational standards by providing 21st century learning environments.
The Hackney BSF programme has been developed by Hackney Council in partnership with The Learning Trust. This partnership recognises that the BSF programme and schools are at the heart of successfully delivering the five, ‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes; being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution, and achieving economic wellbeing.
What the programme will mean?
BSF is not just a building programme. It will mean:
- raising education standards through well designed, multipurpose buildings with state-of-the-art learning environments and easy-to-use technology to transform teaching and learning
- creating schools that offer facilities to the wider community with a range of public and local services so more people can benefit
Who is delivering the programme?
The programme is being delivered by Mouchel Babcock Education (MBE). MBE, chosen by Hackney Council, is a joint venture company between Mouchel and Babcock Infrastructure Services set up specifically for the BSF Programme.
Plans for Cardinal Pole Catholic School
The school is currently split across two sites. These are the main site on Kenworthy road and the annex site on Victoria Park road. Built in the 1950’s and extended in the 1960’s the main school block occupies a very restrictive site on Kenworthy road, with limited external space. Although a larger site, Victoria Park road site, comprises a Victorian former hospital building, Grade II listed, the building presents a number of suitability problems in delivering a modern curriculum. The proposed site for the newly build school is Morning Lane.
In June 2009, the school has entered a Vision review process which re-examined curriculum delivery, design priorities and school aspirations under BSF. Visits to exemplar schools and curriculum remodelling have formed part of the school’s educational transformation. Students, staff and parents took part in ‘transformation days’ to look at what they want from their school of the future.
In autumn 2009, Cardinal Pole will start developing the design for the new school. The new Cardinal Pole help to raise student’s attainment levels with inspirational building design and easy-to-use information and communication technology (ICT), which will transform the way students learn and being taught. Building work on our new school is estimated to commence in November this year and it will take approximately 2 years to complete but we will plan our building work to minimise disruption to learning and teaching.
BSF investment would enable:
- the whole school to be located on a single site
- the Catholic ethos to remain at the centre of the school, with a visible and accessible Chapel providing for the school community’s spiritual wellbeing
- high quality PE and sports facilities to support our healthy school agenda and to provide for wider community use
- a safe and calm learning environment for community users by delivering a building which is welcoming but secure
- state of the art ICT facilities which are fully integrated across the curriculum and enable flexible delivery of teaching and learning and also accessible to the wider community to enable parents and local residents to acquire skills
- more learning spaces and eLearning resources which are accessible and inclusive for students with physical or sensory disabilities
- further developing the curriculum at all Key Stages to increase vocational opportunities at 14-19, linked to preparing students for the world of work
- improved rates of attendance, punctuality, and reduced exclusions
- to develop work with Safer Schools Partnership on gang related issues
- more opportunities for student leadership and an effective rewards and merits system for those who excel
- smaller teaching groups, lecture style lessons, self managed learning activities, tutorial groups, presentations, role play, practical demonstrations and experiments, and greater use of external spaces for learning and teaching. New flexible spaces will encourage active learning and build pupil skills as independent learners
- a more flexible approach to the school day, allowing us to cater for a wide range of needs
BSF represents a fantastic opportunity to create high quality learning spaces which enable us to achieve our aspiration that Cardinal Pole will be an outstanding school delivering high quality teaching and learning, supported by our Christian ethos, and at the heart of our community.
For more information on BSF Programme, visit the following websites:
http://www.hackney.gov.uk/xe-bsf.htm
http://www.partnershipsforschools.org.uk/
http://www.learningtrust.co.uk/