The BSF funding allocation process and strategic planning
1.11 BSF provides funding to Local Authorities to renew all the schools in an area through a "wave" of funding lasting three to five years following selection of a private sector partner. It allocates funding to small Local Authorities to allow them to renew all their schools in one wave, and to larger Local Authorities to allow them to renew all their schools across multiple waves, an area at a time. Local Authorities in waves 1 to 3 have received between £80 million and £410 million of capital funding for each wave.
1.12 The Department prioritised areas into 15 waves, mainly by order of those with the lowest educational attainment (measured by those achieving five A*-C GCSEs) and highest deprivation (free school meals), and spreading funding for large Local Authorities over multiple waves. The waves are set out in Appendix 6. The Department is currently considering whether to continue using these arrangements.
1.13 BSF funding makes it easier for Local Authorities to do more than they can with funding for single schools. It encourages Local Authorities to rethink the organisation of schools across their estate and allows them to coordinate their development, including merging and building new schools. The Department requires Local Authorities to demonstrate that they have undertaken extensive strategic planning on how to maximise the effect of funding to facilitate improved educational attainment and life chances for children.
5 | The Department's capital funding programmes. (2004-05 to 2010-11) |
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Primary Capital Programme | A programme to renew at least half of all primary schools by 2022-23. Schools are funded through grant or PFI. Management of the programme is more devolved than BSF or Academies. Some Local Authorities may procure their primary school building through their BSF LEP.
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Academies | A programme to improve educational attainment in deprived areas, by replacing poorly performing schools with new schools run by independent local sponsors. From 2007, the procurement and building of Academies are managed nationally by PfS. | ||
Targeted funding (including One School Pathfinders) | Small projects designed to improve educational facilities and deliver newly developing Ministerial priorities. One School Pathfinders are projects to renew the neediest school in the 25 Local Authorities that are expected to be the last to join BSF, allowing them to address urgent needs, but without BSF's emphasis on strategic planning or support from PfS. | ||
A programme to renew all 3,500 secondary schools in England. Capital grant and PFI funding is devolved to Local Authorities. PfS manages the programme and aims to agree contracts to renew the last schools by 2020. |
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Devolved | Formulaic funding provided a) to Local Authorities for them to prioritise across the whole school estate and b) to schools for them to make small capital improvements. |
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Source: National Audit Office analysis of Department's management information | |||
