Bristol Local Education Partnership was the first LEP set up under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. LEPs are a new type of public-private partnership in which a private sector partner invests alongside the public sector. Bristol LEP has delivered four initial new schools and is now operating these, as well as developing further new school projects.
The Local Education Partnership
Bristol LEP was established in 2006 as a partnership between Skanska, Bristol City Council and Partnerships for Schools, the government’s BSF delivery body. It has managed the finance, design and construction of the four initial new schools and will operate them for 25 years for the benefit of their students and communities they serve.
The LEP has also managed the integration of ICT into the design of the new schools to enable students to benefit from the vast array of information and resources available to support their learning.
Skanska is investing through Skanska Infrastructure Development, the Skanska unit for investments in social infrastructure, and is providing construction and facilities management services alongside the key partners listed below. Specialist PFI fund, Investors in the Community Fund 2LP (managed by Mill Asset Management Group Ltd), and Building Schools for the Future Investments LLP are co-investors in the initial four schools. Senior debt funding is provided through Barclays Bank and SMBC.
Service partners for the initial four schools are:
- Architects – Wilkinson Eyre Architects
- Building services designers – Buro Happold
- Investment & development – Skanska ID
- Construction – Skanska
- Maintenance, security and catering – Skanska
- ICT Managed Service – Northgate Managed Services
- Management of leisure facilities – Skanska
In a further wave of school development under BSF, the LEP is extensively rebuilding and extending five more secondary schools in Bristol, as well as building a new special school. It is also building a new school for Oasis Academy John Williams and redeveloping two former independent schools that became academies in 2008.
The LEP has extensively extended and refurbished two primary schools in the city and is working with Bristol City Council on plans to transform many more primaries.
