Barnsley Schools

Under this £48.2m project 13 new primary schools and two new children centres have been designed, built and delivered, benefiting approximately 4,000 children and 400 teaching staff. The Barnsley Schools project, now in its third year of operations, involved the provision of hard and soft facilities management services including catering, security, cleaning, caretaking, grounds maintenance and mechanical / electrical maintenance for all of the schools for the remainder of the 27-year concession period.

The contract was awarded winner of the Best Operational Education Scheme in the Public Private Finance Awards 2008. The judges were impressed by the positive responses to the schools’ design and operation given by staff, pupils, governors and community users. The success of this contract is due in part to the strong relationship between the partners. One area of particularly good performance is the provision of the school meal service where uptake continues to remain above the national average.

Examples of achievements and initiatives on this project include:

• A full review of waste management and a joint approach to recycling

• Supporting education by providing learning tools for teaching staff / parents on the subject of healthy eating

• Provision of formal food safety training for pupils, teaching and children centre staff and other partners

• Implementation of a community engagement plan