ePolitix.com speaks to Barry Sheerman MP about the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum launch of 'Beyond Buildings - Procuring Building Schools for the Future programme Sustainability'.
Could you tell us about the 'Beyond Buildings - Procuring BSF Sustainability' report?
The Building Schools for the Future programme (BSF) will shape the environment in which our children are educated for at least a generation. This inquiry provides a health check on the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the programme. Chaired by myself and former construction minister, the Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP, the inquiry took evidence from more than 60 stakeholders, including civil servants, teachers, architects, businesses and local authority representatives.
Is the Building Schools for the Future scheme sustainable?
The biggest area of concern identified by the inquiry was that of environmental sustainability. While we recognise the government's ambition in this field, particularly the introduction of the 2016 zero-carbon target, we saw no indication that this target would be achieved.
To be socially sustainable the programme must deliver educational transformation that is tailored to the needs of individual communities. However, we were concerned that this transformative element is not being uniformly delivered.
What are the report's findings on the Building Schools for the Future programme?
In general, our findings were positive. After a slow start the delivery of the programme has significantly improved, in no small part due to Partnerships for Schools' effective stewardship. However, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels and the report identifies a number of key areas where there is substantial scope for improvement to meet sustainable targets.
What policy recommendations does the report make?
The report makes a range of over 30 detailed recommendations to support the central finding of our inquiry; that the programme must be about more than just constructing new buildings. It must tailor buildings to deliver specific educational and societal aims and, once built, the programme must provide the guidance and support to ensure they secure their predicted benefits.
How can behavioural changes meet sustainability needs?
We found that, in a school, environmental sustainability is won in the margins; a perfectly designed school, operated incorrectly, will still waste a huge amount of energy. It is therefore vital that BSF addresses the behaviour of the end user, both teachers and pupils. On one level this means educating users about how to properly operate a building and realise its low-carbon potential. However, it also means promoting a broader sustainability ethos within the school. This has the added and vital benefit of helping to develop 'sustainable citizens'. These children will then be better equipped to address the tough decisions climate change will force us to make.
'Beyond Buildings', issued by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum (WSBF), will be launched at 12.30pm in the House of Commons.
WSBF is a Policy Connect activity.
For more information on the launch and to receive a copy of the report, call 020 7202 8587 / sustainability@policyconnect.org.uk.
