16th July 2008  

Building Schools for the Future 

The meeting was concerning the Building Schools for the Future Programme in Bridgwater which aims to raise the achievements and life chances of Bridgwater young people by transforming the way students are taught, and providing them with first class fit-for-purpose school buildings. The four Bridgwater comprehensives (Robert Blake, Chilton Trinity, East Bridgwater and Haygrove schools), plus two special schools (Penrose and Elmwood), will be demolished and re-built, three of them on their existing sites.  Three options exist for the position of the fourth, Haygrove, and work is ongoing on this.  This will be carried out via the Private Finance Initiative and our soft market testing has shown a keen interest from top class construction and IT companies in bidding for our project.

The aims and objectives of BSF are many and varied and one of them is to bring about economic regeneration and increased employment in the area.

The purpose of the open day

a) for companies who have shown an interest in bidding for the contract to rebuild the six schools 

 b) companies who have expressed a wish to support the Preferred Bidder as part of the supply chain. 

The BSF team is very keen that the Preferred Bidder will use the local workforce where possible, thus realising it's aim to increase employment and training opportunities for Bridgwater children and the wider community.