Key BSF delivery milestones

• Wessex Centre – completed September 2009
• Bethnal Green Technology College (BGTC), on site currently – due to complete December 2010
• St Paul’s Way – on site currently, due to complete October 2011
• Sir John Cass – entering detailed design development, construction to commence February 2010 and complete February 2012
• Morpeth – entering detailed design development, construction to commence February 2010 and complete September 2012
• Oaklands - entering detailed design development, construction to commence February 2010 and complete September 2011
• Ian Mikardo - entering detailed design development, construction to commence February 2010 and complete April 2011
• Bowden House – entering into design development construction due commence Autumn 2010
• Raines Foundation – design development construction due commence Autumn  2010
• Swanlea – design development construction due commence Autumn  2010
• Pupil Referral Unit – design development construction due commence end 2010
• Beatrice Tate – entering into design development construction due commence Spring  2011
• All other secondary schools have a detailed control option and will begin engagement with The LEP and development later in the programme.

Of these schools, St Paul’s Way and BGTC have been chosen by the Council as Pathfinder schools and will lead the local BSF programme. This means they will help the council and those schools in later stages; learn from their progress and experience. 

St Paul’s Way Community School

As a Pathfinder school, St Paul’s Way will lead the Tower Hamlets BSF programme. The school will be completely rebuilt - representing an exciting opportunity to develop a brand new purpose-built school. Working with Poplar Harca Primary Care Trust, it will also play a significant role in helping to regenerate the local area.

Located in an area of particular community need, St Paul’s Way has been assessed as the school in greatest need of redevelopment in the borough. Much of its building and teaching spaces are in a poor condition and getting around the building is difficult - with restricted staircases and corridors.

Reflecting both the school and the Council’s vision for the future, the planned improvements will help to drive up attainment and aspirations, and tackle some of the security issues for St Paul’s students - making the school an important asset both for them and their local community.

Rebuilding the school on a different part of the existing site will also mean that the school can operate normally during construction work - limiting disruption

Bethnal Green Technology College

Bethnal Green Technology College (BGTC) will be Tower Hamlets’ second Pathfinder school. The investment from BSF offers a great opportunity for BGTC to reshape itself with a new style entrance, making the school more welcoming, accessible and secure.

There is poor access and limited space for learning, together with restricted movement in and around the building. Although the school is a specialist technology college, the ICT facilities need urgent improvement, especially as this is at the heart of the school’s vision for the future. The outdoor play and recreation space also needs resurfacing as it is increasingly unsafe. 

A planned combination of new buildings and refurbishment will radically improve teaching facilities, supporting the college as it moves away from special measures and enabling it to engage more effectively with parents and the local community. With a strong tradition in hockey, the planned improvements to the outdoor PE area will also offer an exciting opportunity for the school to help support the London Olympics, as the school has been identified as a potential training centre.

The Wessex Centre

Although the Council originally planned to sell the Wessex Centre, it has now i redeveloped it through the BSF programme as part of its commitment to provide local young people with a broader curriculum and better pathways from education into work. The refurbishment of the Wessex Centre will help it support local schools to provide a wider range of vocational subjects by offering specialised facilities that will increase schools capacity.

Ian Mikardo

Originally built as a mothers and children’s centre, Ian Mikardo is a Special School that has been adapted to meet the needs of the students. However although the building and classrooms are generally in good condition, there are not enough classrooms and they are too small. Getting around the building is also a problem, as there is no lift to the first floor and movement on that level is difficult.

This site is one of the most restricted - with limited space for play and recreation. This means major demolition and building work would be very difficult without huge disruption to teaching. Therefore, the current plan is to significantly refurbish and remodel the school instead. This will include a new two-storey extension to improve the amount of space and provide better access around the building. It is hoped most of this work can be completed during the summer holidays, limiting the impact on students and teachers.

Morpeth

The school is situated within a dense, residential and commercial area. The site has no green areas, but is a pleasant campus with a mixture of new and older refurbished buildings

The school aims to create a non-institutional environment which is flexible and can embrace the use of new technologies and learning styles.

The plans propose two new buildings to create a continuous building complex that provides internal links to all departments. The new buildings will support the departmental structure of the school by strengthening existing adjacencies. The provided spaces will enhance the school curriculum and provide high quality learning spaces to suit the school’s specialisms.

Existing departments are designed to expand into the new buildings where necessary. This design idea has been followed for the existing science department on Level 01 Technology Block and the PE department on Level 00 Performing Arts building. To create strong links, the new L-shaped building is internally linked to the Technology Block and the Performing Arts building.

Oaklands

Oaklands School is pre-dated by the earlier St Bernards School which was housed in the Victorian block and closed in 1991.  The school now occupies 2 main buildings over a split site dating circa 1890’s to 1994 in age; these buildings are connected by a linked bridge over Old Bethnal Green Road.  Site constraints have hindered future development and the school suffers from a lack of adequate circulation space and is struggling to fit its existing timetabled curriculum within the current number of classrooms.

The current plans are to build a one and in parts two story building on the schools play ground raising the playground to first floor level, flexible spaces will be created which can have multiple uses rather than standard classrooms, current buildings will be remodelled to create an educational environment that will help deliver the School’s vision and maximise the use of external spaces.

Sir John Cass Red Coats

The school is a 1960s building with the associated accumulated buildings that have evolved to populate the school grounds as pupil numbers and their needs grow. The main building has been periodically complimented by an increased provision, with the additional buildings ranging from modern design to temporary accommodation space which is constrained and less than ideal. And leads to a confusing layout. The majority of the existing buildings on the school site are to be retained. There will be some demolition, which will target the existing gym annex and the several ‘temporary building/’huts’. 

Current plans propose a new two storey block incorporating a new entrance and ICT learning resource, a two storey extension adjacent to the hall with a glass gallery link. The works proposed will strongly assist Sir John Cass School and its pupils in the organization and management of their curriculum, the aesthetics of the school buildings and the links that the school strives for within its local community.