Leicester BSF Phase 2 Update

Leicester City’s plans for  BSF phase 2 have now been presented to Government and will be discussed at Cabinet on 14th December 2009.   City officials are very hopeful that the plans will be passed.

This is good news for the City of Leicester College, as we are next in line to be rebuilt.   Once these plans are passed by Cabinet,   the College will have just 16 weeks to reach a Stage 1 Submission – detailing the project’s scope, elevations plan, outline proposals and cost estimates.

After what seems like an age waiting for BSF, things are set to start moving very fast indeed! (fingers crossed xx)

 

 

 

Beaumont Leys Scoop top BSF Prize

Beaumont Leys picked up two awards, including the top prize, at the Partnership for Schools annual national award ceremony earlier this month.

The Leicester City phase 1 school was awarded “BSF School of the Year” and also the special “Grand Prix” prize for the most transformational team.

Beaumont Leys wins top BSF prize

Head Teacher Liz Logie later commented:

“When we were working with the architect, I was clear that I wanted a building that was fabulous and gorgeous, inclusive and secure, open and flexible.

I think we succeeded. Building Schools for the Future has had a dramatic impact on everyone’s sense of well being and this is clear in students’ attitudes, behaviour and effort.

There is a real sense of pride, which is great to see”

Beaumont Leys - Interior view

An honourable mention for Soar Valley College, which  was nominated in the Most Inspirational Use of Outside Space category, and also to Leicester City Council – considered for the Innovation in PE and Sport prize.

BSF Champions Group visits Judgemeadow

Last week the BSF Champions Group took a tour of one of the newly built phase 1 BSF schools,  Judgemeadow Community College.  Below is a short video from the tour. ( I’ll add some more detailed text about the visit soon).

One of the advantages of The City of Leicester College being a phase 2 school is that we can learn from those schools who have gone through the process before us.  There were lots of good things about Judgemeadow’s new design- the space, the calm atmosphere, the  flexible working spaces – and of course lots and lots of new shiny stuff!  Take a look for yourself by clicking the video below!

It was quite an uplifting experience, and I left with my head buzzing with the possibilities for our own College design.

Leicester BSF Update

A quick update of the present state of play:-

Phase 1 of Leicester City’s BSF project was recently completed ahead of schedule and on budget.  The City Council are now gearing up to deliver the remainder of the project as quickly as possible over the next 3 years.

The City’s overarching Strategy for Change for phase 2  is “very near readiness for submission to Partnership for Schools”.   The sections still needing updating are SEN, Inclusion, Access and Diversity, which are all due to be completed by the end of this month.

There have been some tricky negotiations recently around student numbers to be included in the strategy, as trends suggest secondary school numbers will continue to fall over the next five years, before rising sharply.   These negotiations will have a big impact on the City’s BSF project as the Funding Allocation Model centres on  projected student numbers.

If the Strategy for Change is accepted by PfS, then our College will most likely be completing a New Project Request towards the end of November, with the design phase commencing soon after that.

There is also a possibility that The City of Leicester College will be designated a Private Finance Initiative, along with Crown Hills School.  If this happens, we will need to complete the New Project Request by the end of next month.

Whilst the College’s own plans are dependant on the City Council’s Strategy for Change being accepted by PfS, The City of Leicester College is expecting a funding envelope of around £19.4 million, to be used to finance a complete rebuild of the school.  Under current plans, nearly all of our present structures will be demolished with the exception of the Design block.  This space would be converted into Business Units, bringing commercial companies onsite and adding a new dimesion to our Business and Enterprise specialism.

It looks like BSF phase 2 is gathering momentum, so watch this space for future BSF news and updates!

“Read the rest” for a quick glossary of BSF jargon used in this post..

Leicester Phase 1 Schools Slideshow

Thanks to Mike McPherson for sharing this slideshow of photos taken during recent tours of Beaumont Leys, Fullhurst, Judgemeadow and Soar Valley.

There are not many photos of Leicester’s newly built phase 1 BSF schools floating around the net yet, so its great to finally get the opportunity to peek inside!

Some very interesting and  different approaches to design in each of the four schools.

There was one common thread running through each new build…  you can have any colour you like – as long as it can be found in a packet of starbursts.

A Quick look at Leicester’s completed BSF Schools

Leicester City has completed its phase 1 new builds for four schools, namely

Beaumont Leys School
Fullhurst Community College
Soar Valley College
Judgemeadow College

Below are a few images of the new buildings, along with a few  snippets from their design brief  (courtesy of the Leicester City Council website).  They are a bit low quality – I’ll try and get some better ones soon.

Beaumont Leys School

Beaumont Leys - Exterior view

Beaumont Leys - Interior view

“The building itself is brick with colourful panels with transparent panels so that people can see the entrance and learning resource areas.  Set in two and three storey blocks, the offices, class rooms, toilets and other spaces will be laid out to make the building easy to navigate.  This also gives greater flexibility of teaching spaces.

The entrance foyers leads to areas including dining, the main hall and learning resource suites.  This part of the school makes up the community zone; the school has been designed to encourage the out of hours use of the school by local residents”.

Fullhurst Community College

Fullhurst Community College - External View

Fullhurst Community College - Interior View

“The new buildings have been built around the existing main hall and form part of the communal areas. A new entrance which includes a glass façade that allows for natural light and ventilation has also been constructed.  The design incorporates spacious corridors to help with the efficient movement of pupils and staircases are now located to maximise space and allow natural light into all areas. Flexible teaching spaces are a key component of the remodelling of the school and will be used for individual and group work.

Fullhurst retains its 1930’s red brick façade and clock tower at the rear of the new design. This iconic symbol of the school in the local community is the original entrance and will help to retain the character of the existing school. The school is a combination of high quality modern design and technology whilst preserving some of the architectural features of the old building. “

Judgemeadow Community College

Judgemeadow - exterior view

“A dynamic combination of teaching ‘wings’ projecting out from a hub with the social and dining spaces at the core.  The teaching wings are clusters of facilities arranged on different floors around faculty resource areas.  The dining and social areas are glazed to give plenty of light and views outside.

The auditorium, entrance, panoramic café, dining room and library are curved, glazed double height spaces.  Inside, the rooms have been carefully arranged to make it easy to get around.  Flexible resource areas are placed at the heart of each curriculum zone.  Plenty of natural lights will help make the school feel spacious.  Outside, the entrance has been designed as a safe, well lit space with routes The new school has spacious outdoor sports areas, hard and soft play areas and a garden of reflection with dining social space and a landscaped amphitheatre”.

Soar Valley College

Soar Valley College - arial view

Soar Valley College - Exterior View

“In keeping with the surroundings, most of the school is no more than two storeys high.  Inside, the rooms have been carefully arranged to make the school easy to get around.  The layout means that there is plenty of natural light and some views of the landscape.

The building has a welcoming frontage to highlight the school being there to service the whole community.  The flexible layout of the school means that it can accommodate large and small groups for uses such as adult education.  The design of the school maximises space for sports pitches including the prominent cricket pitch.”

Bulldozers at Beaumont Leys

While I was attending the first BSF Champions meeting at Beaumont Leys CLC, the bulldozers were busy reducing the old Beaumont Leys buildings to a pile of rubble.

Bulldozers at Beaumont Leys 1/2 - 30 June 2009

Bulldozers at Beaumont Leys 2/2 - 30 June 2009

How long before we say goodbye to Wyvern and Gill?

Beaumont Leys – Artist impression

I am aiming to show how other schools in and around Leicester are progressing through BSF.  A digital camera is a quick and simple way of sharing the experience, alongside achitectural plans and impressions:

Artist impression of Beaumont Leys - main entrance

Beaumont Leys - work in progress

Images can often convey much more than the written word. This blog will be regularly updated with images, plans and photos of developments locally and nationally to help readers understand the  project, to imagine what is possible, and to visualise what our new school could look like!