Lewisham Councillor Robert Massey, has criticised possible Conservative party plans to to put classes in disused church halls, commercial properties and prefabricated buildings, if they gain power at the next election.
His comments come after the Financial Times reported Francis Maude, a shadow cabinet officer, in conversations with construction industry figures indicating the Conservatives could rein in the £55 billion Building Schools for the Future programme. The paper quoted an Opposition member involved in the discussions as saying: “What makes a school effective is teaching. It’s not about whether it’s in a £20m building built by an award-winning architect.”
Cllr Massey, Labour member for children and young people, disagrees entirely. He said: “Frankly our children and young people deserve modern schools. If you want them to do well, putting them up in a shabby environment is not good enough. Having modern buildings has made a difference [in school performance]. And it was the Tories who allowed our schools to deteriorate.”
The BSF programme was put in place in 2005 with the government setting aside £2.2 billion in its first year to make sure that secondary school pupils were learning in 21st century facilities. Cllr Massey added: “Pupils deserve to be taught in shools designed for the 21st century.” Since 2005 an average of £2.5-3 billion has gone into BSF.
Lewisham are in an advanced position in the programme and Cllr Massey referred to successful schools that were built under the BSF. He said: “You should go down to Forest Hill and have a look at the new building. It’s fantastic.”
Karen Bastick-Styles, head teacher of the recently completed, £39 million Sedgehill School said: “The building really is quite beautiful. The colours, the bright light spaces and the campus design … combine to make Sedgehill feel like a really special place ready for our students and staff to learn and achieve great success.”
Cllr Massey added: “The Tory idea that it’s ok to be taught in a shabby classroom with a bucket in the corner to catch the rain coming in through the leaky roof, is frankly unacceptable.”