A cross-party group of MPs has blasted plans to rebuild or refurbish every secondary school in England, calling them “over-optimistic” and “poorly planned”.
A report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee said the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) created expectations about the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme in schools and local authorities that could not be met.
Ministers planned to have 200 schools open by December 2008, but only 42 were finished on time. The current number of schools completed is 86, with another 115 due to be finished this financial year. The 200th school is due to be completed in mid-2010.
The report said: “Poor planning has heightened expectations and created disappointment. This has diminished the effectiveness of BSF by reducing the confidence of local authorities, contractors and schools in the programme.”
A report by the National Audit Office published in February found that the programme had been delayed by about 21 months. It also found that it was up to £10 billion over budget.
