36 All the schools visited, however funded, left room for design improvements. But does this matter? It could be argued that lower, but adequate, design standards give better value for money and allow scarce resources to be spread more widely. Conversely, if in the long run poorer design leads to greater costs and, particularly, to poorer educational outcomes, then clearly it does matter. It is important therefore to establish the links between the built environment and learning. The newness of PFI schools means that there is no research available to assess any effects yet on the educational outcomes of children who attend them. But it was certainly the case that the majority of users of both PFI and traditionally funded schools in the Audit Commission sample believed there was a link between environment, pupil behaviour and 'productivity'. The requirement for business cases under PFI should therefore encompass a more explicit link between buildings and educational performance - and, commendably, current bidding guidance from the DfES states that expressions of interest from potential PFI providers should demonstrate this link, and that this is one of the criteria on which bids will be assessed for provisional approval.
37 This chapter has described many factors that combine to explain why the early wave school PFI schemes have not produced all the benefits described in Chapter 1 that the DfES expects. But perhaps the most significant messages coming through are that if we want good-quality schools, we must give design sufficient emphasis in the procurement process regardless of the procurement method; and that success is more likely when good partnerships are forged between all the many people involved, including the close involvement of school users right from the start. This theme of communicating and teamworking is developed further in the next chapter.