Lord Silkin School university college plans explained

Education chiefs in Telford today explained why a borough school earmarked for a complete rebuild would instead be transformed into a university technical college.

Telford & Wrekin Council had planned to build a new Lord Silkin School as part of its ambitious, multi-million-pound Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Councillor Stephen Burrell gave the explanation.

Telford & Wrekin was told in the summer plans to create sports and learning communities had survived a review of BSF projects while many others around the country were not so lucky.

Local authorities whose programmes escaped the axe were told to focus on schemes that delivered best value for improving the condition of school buildings.

Councillor Burrell, the cabinet member for children and young people, said today: "The council was asked by the Department for Education to focus on schemes that delivered best value for improving the condition of school buildings and we are pleased that we have been able to keep 95 per cent of the scheme as originally set out.

"However, we were told by the Government that our preferred option for a new build of the Lord Silkin School was considered unacceptable to the department in view of their revised criteria.

"This was not the council's choice and was an unwelcome decision for us and more importantly for the residents of Stirchley

"We are now working ha- rd on what we consider to be an extremely exciting proposal for Lord Silkin to become a university technical college. This has included the council working with a number of partners in the education, food production and construction sectors to enable the university technical college to be established.

"While this is not yet confirmed, it would be excellent news for Telford & Wrekin — not least because establishment of a university technical college would enable the council to access significant levels of funding to ensure that the Lord Silkin site is developed to the highest possible standards to improve life chances for all young people.

"We have also found savings from the original programme by reducing the cost of some specifications of the other new build Sports and Learning Communities and introducing an element of standardisation of design."

By Simon Hardy