Poole Grammar School Accommodation of Yr 7 Children

1. Poole Grammar SchoolAccommodation of Yr 7 Children Partnership Agreement February 2007 Michael Thompson TEAM FOCUS – RTL Ltd

2. The Project • There is a need to accommodate Year 7 children into the school as part of seeking to change the age of transfer in Poole • The buildings required have been assessed based on curriculum analysis • The scope of the work required has been agreed with the school

3. Project Management • The Chair of governors has proposed that one of the governors (after resignation from the governing body) manages the project and takes complete control over the process, keeping independent of the local authority • Financial regulations do not allow this, as competition is required in the appointment of the Project Manager • Poole has been allocated responsibility by the DfES for the build works

4. Best Value • Poole Borough Council has an obligation to achieve “Best Value” with this and all projects • This not only includes getting the best value for money from the construction of the additional buildings • It means meeting the needs of the school in terms of its agreed functions, for the life of the buildings (in this case, around 30 years)

5. Best Value • The CABE five principles of good design are probably relevant: • Functionality in use:Is the finished product fit for purpose? Does it use know-how and innovation to provide business and social value? Does it optimise the operational cost of core services, and the productivity of the staff? • Build quality:Is it built on whole life principles – lasting and easy to maintain? • Efficiency and sustainability:Will it be completed on time, to budget, to specification? Is it environmentally efficient? What will its BREEAM rating be? • Design in context:Is it respectful of its context? • Aesthetic quality:Does it meet a need for non-institutional, individual character?

6. Best Value • Will the new development fit into any longer term plans for the school? • Possibly not in the case of Poole Grammar School because of existing site restrictions

7. The Project Team • The background and reasons for the governors seeking control of the project management need to be understood • It also needs to be understood how this can be accommodated in the management of the project to everyone’s satisfaction

8. Partnership Poole Grammar School is used to the concepts of “Excellence through Partnership” all in an educational culture that is technological, enterprising and vocationally aware.

9. The Project Team • Poole Grammar School is used to the concepts of “Excellence through Partnership”

10. Partnership • There are essentials to achieving a good partnership: • Everyone understanding what the benefits of a true partnership are • Everyone being committed to that partnership • Everyone being committed to the achievement of a best value project that will fulfil the required functions for the whole life of the project

11. Partnership • This requires good effective communication between all members of the project team, and a clear understanding of everyone’s needs and concerns • It requires the development of trust between all members of the team – that all members are accountable for what they do and that they do it right first time • It requires developing a set of common objectives, so that everyone is focussed in the same direction

12. Partnership Agreement Workshop • The workshop would set out: • To initiate strong relationships between all members of the team • To achieve Heads of Terms for a Partnership Agreement including • Code of Practice for working together • “Measurables” for understanding how well the team is performing (periodic reviews) • Team Structure / clear roles and responsibilities • Clear ideas / understanding for the development and fulfilment of the project as a team

13. What follows is likely to be more appropriate to other schools where development is less restricted.

14. Further Development of the Project • There are further processes that help to meet best value and best practice: • The CABE five principles of good design • Good design principles • They are focussed around Value and Risk Management

15. Good clear organisation, an easily legible plan and full accessibility Spaces that are well proportioned, efficient, fit for purpose and meet needs of curriculum Circulation that is well organised and sufficiently generous Good environmental conditions throughout , including appropriate levels of natural light and ventilation Attractiveness in design, comparable to that found in other quality public buildings, to inspire pupils, staff and parents Good use of the site, and public presence as a civic building to engender local pride Attractive external spaces with a good relationship to internal spaces, offering appropriate security, and variety of settings A layout that encourages broad community access and use out of hours Robust materials that are attractive, will weather and wear well and are environmentally friendly Flexible design that will facilitate changes in the policy and technology, which allows expansion / contraction in the future Good Design Principles

16. Value Management Methodology • Put in place the Team Culture • Gather all information available – identify missing information, forbidden issues, risks etc. • Assess the functions to be achieved (Function Analysis) • Create ideas • Evaluate ideas, using evaluation criteria e.g. CABE • Develop a proposal that provides value enhancement at no greater risk • Present and agree the final proposal • Implement and review regularly Generic approach, not necessarily relevant at Poole Grammar School

17. Benefits of the Value Process • It strengthens the team and provides stronger focus on the project • It establishes consensus • It removes preferential engineering (“wouldn’t it be nice to have?”) • It avoids cost cutting with increased risk • It establishes a strong audit trail • It reduces the need for changes in design at a later stage

18. But first of all …… Let us establish the partnership!