73 We have set out in this report many lessons arising from the early wave school PFI schemes that could benefit schools, however they are funded. Failing to recycle lessons runs the risk of undermining the Government's plans for a new wave of public buildings of lasting civic value that can match the Victorian legacy and provide a better learning environment (Ref. 13). But although there is always scope to discover more efficient ways of providing such quality, there is still likely to be a need for compromise between the desirable and the affordable. The Government will ultimately need to decide how much it can afford to invest in the school estate in relation to the quality it would like to see provided.
74 And it may be that further developments to the procurement framework are needed. The debate has already started as to whether PFI schemes might develop to a point where contracts link payments to measures of the quality of education provided, such as truancy rates, or how well children perform in exams, extending the current definition of VFM. The PFI scheme itself would then provide incentives for LEAs and PFI providers to be innovative in the design features that make schools fit for their ultimate educational purpose, in addition to incentives to produce buildings that do not cost much to maintain or where the floors are easy to clean.
75 It is too early to tell whether the long-term delivery of serviced schools accommodation will be better under PFI, or whether educational attainment will be enhanced. That evaluation can only take place in the future, and the Audit Commission, local auditors and LEA inspectors will return to the issue in due course. The DfES, or the Audit Commission itself, could repeat this study in, say, 12 months using the same technical appraisal methodology applied to a more recent generation of operational PFI schools to evaluate improvements arising from recent government initiatives.
76 PFI offers potential benefits, but this study of the early wave school schemes shows that the PFI process did not as a matter of course guarantee better quality buildings and services, or lower unit costs. This is the key lesson - that if the large-scale new investment is to fulfil the Government's vision of quality schools that can boost attainment, then these benefits must be levered out from each individual scheme, and a way found to ensure that a scheme does not fall short of this vision during the procurement process. A consistent message, particularly from headteachers, was that a significant investment of time and personal commitment in the detailed design and development stages is essential if the benefits are to be realised.