The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme is an exciting programme that will allow us to rebuild or renew all our secondary and special schools by 2012. The programme has been developed by Hackney Council in partnership with The Learning Trust.

This partnership recognises that the BSF programme and schools are at the heart of successfully delivering the five Every Child Matters outcomes – being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution, and achieving economic wellbeing.

Despite its name, Building Schools for the Future is not just about buildings. It is a way for us to raise education standards through well designed, multipurpose buildings and easy-to-use technology. This will dramatically change the ways in which we teach and learn in Hackney.

We expect to invest more than £160 million in our secondary and special schools over the next seven years. We want to address our educational challenges such as achieving the right mix of boys and girls places and making Hackney schools the first choice for all eleven year olds.

We will also create schools that offer facilities to serve the whole community with a range of public and local services from which everyone can benefit. This will include leisure and educational facilities.

The Hackney Building Schools for the Future programme is part of the national Building Schools for the Future programme.

Find out more on Hackney’s dedicated BSF web pages http://www.hackney.gov.uk/xe-bsf

See British Council for School Environments website for more useful information at www.bcse.uk.net

The British Council for School Environments
The British Council for School Environments (BCSE) is a new membership organisation made up of local authorities, schools, construction companies, architects and others involved in, and concerned about, the design and build process in the education sector.

It will act as a forum for exchange, dialogue and advocacy for anyone interested in learning environments; from educators to policy makers; users to designers; managers to constructors.