Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is the name of the previous UK Government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England. The program is very ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicians from all English political parties supportive of the principle but questioning the wisdom and cost effectiveness of the scheme. The delivery of the BSF programme is overseen by Partnerships for Schools (PfS), a non departmental public body formed through a joint venture between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) (formerly the Department for Education and Skills), Partnerships UK and private sector partners. Fourteen Local Education Authorities were asked to take part in the Government's first wave of the Building Schools for the Future programme for the fiscal year 2005/6. There are now (December 2009) 96 LAs in the programme.
In 2007 the programme was complemented by the announcement of a Primary Capital Programme, with £1.9 billion to spend on 675 building projects for primary schools in England over three years.
On 5 July 2010 the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, announced that following a review, the Building Schools for the Future programme was to be scrapped. BSF projects which had not achieved the status of 'financial close' would not proceed, meaning that 715 school revamps already signed up to the scheme would not now go ahead. He also announced that a further 123 academy schemes were to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Read more about Building Schools For The Future: Management, Criticism
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