Sunderland City Council's Cabinet will be asked to approve the final piece in the jigsaw in funding for the £110 million Building Schools for Future (BSF) programme in Sunderland when it meets tomorrow (14 February).
The first phase of the BSF programme will see seven brand new or remodelled secondary schools - including three academies - each bringing what the council says are first class, state of the art facilities to Sunderland and enabling a ‘transformation of teaching and learning throughout the city’.
At tomorrow's meeting the Cabinet will be asked to confirm up to £3.9M to complete the funding pot, with the remaining £110M coming from national funding - £97.6M of which will be invested in new buildings and £11.4 million in ICT facilities and equipment.
The Cabinet is also being asked to approve the Outline Business Case for BSF which is due to be submitted to the national approving body (Partnerships for Schools) later this month.
This is an important landmark in securing funding for the programme. It sets out exactly how the process will be managed and how the national funding will be invested. This includes early design and feasibility work for the new schools and an approach to how the new buildings and state of the art Information Technology will be provided for Sunderland.
Council Leader Cllr Bob Symonds said: "We're delighted to have reached this important milestone in the Building Schools for the Future programme. This is a really fantastic programme and Sunderland is one of the first local authorities to benefit from it. This is a valuable investment in ensuring that young people in this city get the best possible future."
Wave 1 of the Building Schools for the Future Programme will remodel or replace four schools Oxclose, Biddick, Washington and St Robert of Newminster - and provide three ‘Sunderland Model Academies’ to replace Hylton Red House, Castle View and Pennywell Secondary Schools and Quarry View Primary School.
The additional £11.9M investment at Oxclose, due for completion this Spring, is the first BSF project to be completed in Sunderland and one of the first in the country. Plans for the three new academies are being prepared with the three Academy Lead Sponsors. Sunderland City Council is a co-sponsor in each Academy.
