In April 2022, the cost of mains supply water to schools will increase for two reasons, an underlying inflationary increase in the cost of maintaining the water network and a one-off price increase introduced by Ofwat in response to COVID-19. Let’s start with the first:

Increases in the wholesale cost of water

The cost of maintaining and operating the water network increases every year through the twin effects of population growth and global warming. The increase in the wholesale price of water is passed on to homes and businesses across the country.  On average wholesale water rates will increase by 1.7% from the 1st of April, with the exact change depending on your region.

Increase in retail fees in response to the Coronavirus

Most English schools have never switched water suppliers and pay default rates on a deemed contract.  Over the last two years, business water suppliers have suffered increasing levels of bad debt caused by COVID-19.  To protect the industry and avoid suppliers going out of business Ofwat is allowing business water suppliers a one-off increase in their default retail fee.

How schools can avoid the increase in water rates

The one-off increase in retail fees only applies to default water rates.  Schools can avoid the rates increase by agreeing to a fixed-rate water contract.  Commercial water contracts work the same way as for electricity and gas, with lots of business energy suppliers competing for prices.

The English commercial water market deregulated in 2017, and competition in the water market has gradually increased.  English schools can now save thousands by comparing the water market and switching to a more competitive tariff.

Compare business water rates today with AquaSwitch, the UK’s leading commercial water price comparison website.

Springwell Leeds South at Middleton will serve 100 youngsters aged 11-16. In January, a sister site Springwell Leeds East opened at Seacroft and in September, a further site serving the north of the city will open at Tinshill.

The schools will operate, together with an already opened school at Oakwood, as Springwell Leeds Academy which manages care and education for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs between the ages of five and 16.

Leeds City Council has invested £45 million as part of an ambitious scheme with Wellspring Academy Trust to transform specialist education across the city. Wellspring Academy Trust, which operates schools across the north of England, has a track record of outstanding academies and a strong reputation for excellence in specialist education.

When the final site in north Leeds opens in September, the four schools will cater for 340 children. More than 60 staff have been recruited and around 100 jobs created.

The new state-of-the-art facilities will include specialist teaching areas, sensory rooms, 3G sports pitches, a library, fitness centre as well as multi-use games areas and an agricultural outdoor space complete with chickens.

Wellspring Academy Trust Chief Executive Mark Wilson (pictured) said: “These new schools provide a welcoming, caring, safe, and warm environment where children can be supported and empowered to succeed.

“The dedicated staff at Springwell Leeds Academy have developed a curriculum that provides opportunities for academic progression as well as vocational learning, whilst being engaging, creative, and innovative. These are very exciting times for specialist education in Leeds.”

Executive Principal of Springwell Leeds Academy, Scott Jacques, said: “The investment made in these buildings will help us to deliver our vision. Here at Springwell Leeds Academy we have ‘Unconditional Positive Regard’ for our students and this is at the centre of what we do. It’s all about being authentic, showing that you really do believe in the children. We believe in the children and they believe in us.”

Steve Walker, director of children and families at Leeds City Council, said: “Our ambition is for Leeds to be the best city to live and grow up in for all its children and young people, and the council has invested £45 million to ensure that children with social, emotional and mental health needs have access to world class learning provision.

“The opening of Springwell Leeds South is a key milestone in ensuring that children and young people with additional needs have the support they require to reach their potential.”

The building work for the Wellspring and city council partnership is being delivered by Interserve, the international support services and construction group.

Wellspring’s unique approach was one of the reasons the Trust was referenced by the Department for Education as being a “model of inclusiveness” in a recent Parliamentary Select Committee session.

All four schools in Leeds will be open by September 2018, with a further mainstream school, Elements Primary, opening in Middleton, Leeds at the same time.

With the Government’s pledge to go paperless by 2020 there is still a lot of work to do. Recent research from AIIM shows that 42% of organisations still rely on paper for business functions and within that 34% report that their most important business content is referenced and filed as paper.

As 2020 approaches, education managers will face pressure to focus on eliminating paper processes across all areas where it’s no longer required and to invest in automated and digital services. Kefron, the information and document management specialist, can bring multiple benefits to finance teams with its Automated Accounts Payable (AP) service.

Kefron’s Automated AP solution is a cloud-based platform for the management of data and document processing and automated workflow that works alongside existing accounting software. With G-Cloud 9 status and ISO 27001 Information Security accreditation, Kefron’s cloud platform offers secure 24/7 processing and complete scalability.

The service works through data capture and scanning, allowing the information to be uploaded automatically and eliminating the need for manual input, saving staff time which can be used on other tasks. As a result, the invoice processing times, paper or digital, are decreased leading to cost savings. The AIIM research found that almost a third of those using automated solutions cited increased productivity as the biggest benefit it brought to them.

The automation process also improves accuracy as it decreases errors associated with human touch points. This streamlines the process and gives customer satisfaction and confidence that invoices are accurate.

The application provides complete and instant visibility to anyone authorised to view the documents. Anyone with access can immediately view the invoices and approve payments, increasing visibility, accountability and providing greater control of the AP process. The cloud based service also allows users to access documents remotely across devices including smartphones, laptops or tablets, allowing invoices to be approved or processed even when team members aren’t in the office.

The paperless system also saves on physical office space as there is no longer a need for paper invoices to be stored. The data capture and scanning system means that there are fewer duplicate invoices and fewer that are lost or misfiled.

Kristina Russell, UK Sales Manager, Kefron said: “Many areas of businesses are starting to go digital, however some functions, such as accounts payable, have fallen behind and continue to use more traditional methods such as manual input and processing. As a result, invoices can have errors, get lost or misfiled. Kefron’s service eliminates all of this whilst saving the team’s time and costs.

“Busy finance teams can’t afford to ignore how automation can bring multiple benefits to their day to day working, especially as Government pressure will increase over the next two years. Whilst initially some team members may be apprehensive to go digital once they see how much easier it makes their tasks and wish they had used the service earlier!”.

To find out more about how Kefron call help visit www.kefron.com

Delta Security helps Woodbridge High School achieve ‘lockdown’

Delta Security, the CCTV and access control specialist, has helped Essex-based Woodbridge High School to further enhance the safety of its pupils and staff, with the installation of new swing gates that automatically close and restrict access in the event of a lockdown situation.

Lockdown, according to the National Counter Terror Security Office (NaCTSO), is a procedure designed to quickly restrict access and egress to a site or building (or part of) through physical measures in response to threat, either external or internal.

The lockdown system is designed so that the gates, situated at the school’s entrance, integrate with the existing access control and fob system. This enables school staff and visitors to access the site, but can be overridden and shutdown by authorised school personnel if site lockdown is required. Lockdown is activated through a button situated in the school’s reception, at which point an alarm is also raised.

Redbridge council has asked that all schools in the area put lockdown systems in place, and Woodbridge High School is one of the first in the area to have mobilised its system.

The gates are fitted with a CAME Stylo automation, which is ideal for pedestrian gates. It features a highly-robust 24V self-locking motor, that will stand up against intensive use.

Frank Gordon, School Business Manager At Woodbridge High School, says in today’s climate security in schools in paramount:

“No one enters the school without authorisation at the perimeter, and registration at reception. Each year we build further layers of security, and in today’s climate it is especially important to ensure our perimeter is as secure as possible,” he explains.

Delta Security has been working with Woodbridge High School for approximately ten years and so Frank approached the company to help mobilise a lockdown procedure:

“Delta Security is a supplier we know and trust to provide a first-class service,” he says. “Dave Mundy has extensive security knowledge and listens to our needs. He was therefore able to advise the best solution for us, and install within the school-holiday period to ensure minimal disruption. I would always recommend Delta Security to other schools.”

Dave Mundy, Operations Director at Delta Security, says lockdown procedures are becoming increasingly prevalent in schools: “We have seen increased interest from central London schools, especially around transport hubs such as St Pancras and Liverpool Street for a while now, and more recently in schools further out from the City centre. It is an area that I am particularly interested in, and give talks to schools on options and best practice.”

Woodbridge High School is a co-educational 11-18 comprehensive school, with c.1,650 pupils and 170 staff. Its large site accommodates a total of seven buildings.

Chubb’s new Advisor Management software manages and controls 18 panels at the college’s Bangor Campus and two main sites in Holyhead and Llangefni. It provides one single interface for fire detection, intruder alarm, access control and CCTV system management.

“Initially, we approached Chubb regarding panel upgrades,” said Andy Tomlinson, estates services officer, Coleg Menai. “But on further discussion with our Chubb account manager and a consultation period with our tech teams, it was decided that the Advisor Management software would provide significant efficiencies to the way we manage our fire and security systems.”

The software can be accessed remotely and by more than one operator at a time, providing facilities management teams with a reliable, efficient, responsive and highly powerful system.

Alarm management is combined with live video to give immediate visibility to any alarm activation; intruder alarms include live and recorded video to track the whereabouts of an intruder. As a fully integrated system, if an alarm is triggered, lights can be turned on, sounders can be activated, and access granted or restricted – from any connected device.

“Any authorised member of our team now has access to all systems and site plans at the touch of the button, rather than having to switch between programmes. The live video stream in the corner of the screen is also extremely useful for verification purposes,” explained Tomlinson.

With over 500 employees and 10,000 students, Coleg Menai has vast and varying access control needs from students, employees, contractors and visitors.

“A significant benefit has been in streamlining the provision of access control cards, which was previously very labour intensive,” added Mr Tomlinson.

Chubb has been working with Coleg Menai for 20 years and Andy Tomlinson said the long-standing business relationship is a result of good management and trust:

“The Chubb engineers and technical teams are prompt and always available, and the account management has been instrumental in supporting each stage of our fire and security development.”

Building on this position, the University has invested £8.5 million to remodel its Sciences Complex to provide some of the most modern, well-equipped facilities in the UK. Delivered by main contractor Clugston Construction, phase one of the Complex was opened by renowned Professor of Science Lord Robert Winston. Since then, dated offices and science areas have been transformed into integrated, multi-disciplinary teaching laboratories with large preparation spaces.

Baffles and ceiling tiles from Knauf AMF were chosen for their superior quality, outstanding acoustic control and fire resistance.

Paul Barrowcliffe of Clugston Construction explains how Knauf AMF helped satisfy the client’s criteria. “We changed the ceiling specification to Knauf AMF to give the client a high quality product that was within budget. Everything arrived on time which helped us to meet the tight deadline for the build. The client is very pleased with the finished laboratories.”

Ceiling contractor, A.S. Crocker Plasterers recommended Knauf AMF for the project as Director Phil Wilson explains:

“We have worked with Knauf AMF products in the past and found them to be keenly priced, able to deliver on time and always fulfil the given criteria. I have no problem recommending Knauf AMF and their products.”

The laboratories are large areas fitted with a number of hard materials, including glass and concrete, which can create poor acoustics. To counter this, Knauf AMF baffles were installed to provide the necessary sound absorption, helping reduce the level of reverberation and improving speech intelligibility. The baffles are a versatile solution for controlling sound. By varying the distance between the rows of baffles, or changing the size of the baffles, different acoustic performances can be achieved. Knauf AMF baffles are also ideal for enhancing acoustics in thermal mass areas or where frequent and unhindered access to services is required.

Each baffle consists of two sound absorbing panels sat back-to-back in a frame. The panels are durable and offer excellent fire resistance. The surface is smooth and has an elegant appearance.  For design freedom, both the frame and the panel can be specified in a range of colours. Each baffle is suspended by discreet cable hangers which creates the impression of a weightless, elegant structure, enhancing the modern design of the laboratories.

Thermatex Alpha Hygena suspended ceilings are installed above the baffles to provide additional Class A sound control. The smooth white surface gives these ceiling tiles an elegant appearance that fits aesthetically with the interior design of the laboratory. Hygena has an anti-microbial coating which can resist bacteria and fungi making it an ideal ceiling for hospitals, healthcare facilities, kitchens and laboratories.

Knauf AMF have years of expertise of working with projects that have complex specifications and tight deadlines. The team at Knauf AMF are available to offer advice. To chat about your project or to order samples, contact info@knaufamf.co.uk or visit www.amfceilings.co.uk

Foremans Relocatable Building Systems, a member of the Portakabin Group and the UK’s largest supplier of refurbished Portakabin buildings, has been awarded a £1.6 million contract to build a purpose-designed sixth form centre at Higham Lane School in Nuneaton.

Higham Lane is the joint highest-performing state-funded secondary school in Warwickshire, and has performed within the top 100 of all secondary schools in England.  The new building, which is now under construction by Foremans, will allow the school to provide a high quality, direct, post-16 progression route for its students for the first time, maintaining standards and outcomes far above national levels.

The sixth form centre will be built by Foremans using 52 recycled and refurbished steel-framed modules. The two-storey building will be delivered in less than six months from receipt of order to be open in time for the school’s first intake of sixth form students in September this year. Cranage of the refurbished modular structure is being timed for the school holidays to minimise any disruption to teaching.

This is Foremans’ 11th school project with education construction consultants Surveyors to Education who are designers and contract administrators for the scheme.

The building will feature large amounts of glazing for a high level of natural light, with brick cladding to complement neighbouring facilities, and areas of bright red rainscreen cladding to reflect the school’s colours.

Commenting on the project, Ben Elliott, Director of Corporate Services at Higham Lane School said, “There is a shortage of quality sixth form provision in our area and feedback from students has indicated a strong preference to stay on and study for A-levels at Higham Lane School.”

“The Foremans pre-owned approach offers us significant benefits – it is very cost effective and the building will look brand new once it is completed. It is giving us more certainty to have the new sixth form up and running by September because the majority of fitting out takes place off site. Knowing that Foremans is a member of the Portakabin Group gave us even greater peace of mind along with their excellent relationship with Surveyors to Education.”

Martin Hier, Director at Surveyors to Education said, “The school wants this to be a statement building which will also blend in well with existing facilities. It is designed to meet the specific requirements of sixth form learning, which includes teaching spaces to accommodate smaller groups.”

“We have a strong and long-standing relationship with the Foremans team and enjoy pushing the boundaries on each new education scheme we collaborate on. We take a standard building solution and enhance it to meet the school’s requirements – whether that is for aesthetics or as here, specific classroom sizes.”

“We would definitely recommend recycled modular buildings to other schools and colleges. The approach is very sustainable because we are re-using an existing building structure – which is still in perfect condition, and at the same time we can reduce lead times and carbon emissions. Foremans modular buildings are also really flexible so layouts can be reconfigured to meet changing local needs.”

The Higham Lane sixth form centre will accommodate up to 300 16-19 year-old students and will have 17 seminar rooms, an art room, two science laboratories, and common room with café area.

Foremans’ 10 previous projects with Surveyors to Education have included a two-storey school complex at Billingbrook School in Northampton and a single-storey community college building with five classrooms and an IT hub at Winstanley College in Wigan.

For further information about refurbished Portakabin buildings, visit www.foremansbuildings.co.uk, email info@foremansbuildings.co.uk, or call 01964 544344.

The new schools comprise the first batch of five regional batches of new schools to be built under the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP). The European Investment Bank is expected to support construction of a total of 46 new state primary and secondary schools under the initiative and provide around GBP 274 million of overall support. The loans from Europe’s long-term lending institution will be for around 25 years and represent around 40% of the overall project cost.

“The European Investment Bank is committed to supporting long-term investment that improves education across Europe and in the UK thousands of primary and secondary school pupils, and students in higher and further education have benefited from investment in better facilities and modern learning environments following EIB backed education projects. Children in North Tyneside, Northumberland, Gateshead, Sunderland, County Durham, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton on Tees will enjoy better schools in the years to come from the new initiative agreed today and local construction companies will play a key role in building better schools across the country under the wider Priority School Building Programme.” said Jonathan Taylor, European Investment Bank Vice-President.

Twelve schools will be built in the north-east in the first privately funded batch of the PSBP with a total of the GBP 112 million being invested.

The six primary schools are Mandale Mill in Stockton on Tees, Hylton Castle Primary and Shiney Row Primary in Sunderland, and Lingey House, Roman Road and Front School Community Primary schools in Gateshead. The six secondary schools are Bedlingtonshire Community High and The Duchess’s Community High schools in Northumberland, Laurence Jackson School in Redcar and Cleveland, Longbenton Community College in North Tyneside and Seaham School of Technology in County Durham.

By grouping school development schemes aggregating funding requirements, the Education Funding Agency has been able to access cheaper finance, and streamline procurement for each batch of schools.

The PSBP is a centrally managed programme set up to address the needs of the schools most in need of urgent repair. Through the programme, 260 schools will be rebuilt or have their condition needs met by the Education Funding Agency (EFA). Senior debt will be provided by the European Investment Bank and senior bonds subscribed for by Aviva Annuity UK Limited.

Aviva and the European Investment Bank are each expected to provide around 50% of senior debt and INPP will provide mezzanine debt. Amber Infrastructure will act as Loan Administration Agent and Corporate Services Provider. Ashurst LLP (legal) and HSBC (financial) have advised the EFA on the procurement of the aggregator.

In the last decade the European Investment Bank has provided nearly GBP 2.5 billion for education investment across the UK. This has included support for university campus development in Edinburgh, York, Strathclyde, Swansea, Aston, Birmingham and Kent and backing for construction of new vocational training buildings at the City of Glasgow College. The EIB has supported school investment under the Building Schools for the Future programme in recent years as well as directly for nine schools in Newcastle under a local scheme.

Last year the European Investment Bank provided a record GBP 6 billion for long-term investment in key infrastructure across the UK including support for new hospitals, better water and sewerage infrastructure, renewable energy and energy transmission and private sector investment.