Welcome to the third edition of our concise legal guide to Building Schools for the Future (BSF). Since the second edition, there have been many significant developments in the evolution of the BSF initiative:
- operational Local Education Partnerships (LEPs) have been set up, and Partnerships for Schools (PfS) has published updated model draft contracts for the formation of LEPs and the underlying projects
- a major procurement review of the BSF programme has been undertaken, and the findings of the review have been published
- the development of voluntary aided (VA) schools is now taking place under the BSF programme, and academies are increasingly being procured through the BSF authorities
- the first six waves of authorities selected for BSF programmes have been making progress, and other Local Education Authorities (LEAs) have been provisionally assigned to future waves. Greater fluidity may, in the future, allow LEAs to enter the BSF scheme early, meaning they may begin when ready, rather than waiting for their wave
- the first batch of projects has closed, LEAs in waves 1 to 5 are now in various stages of procurement, and 35 BSF schools are operational.
Without doubt, the programme has unwavering political support and is set to transform the secondary school estate in England.
