Schools white paper promotes community facilities

The government has published its white paper on 21st-century schools, which says it seeks to push schools to the heart of communities.

The paper includes plans for schools to offer more co-located facilities that can be used by local residents.

It aims to build on the work already being done through the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme and the £200m Co-Location Fund, managed and delivered by Partnerships for Schools.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families announced earlier this month that the Co-Location Fund would be shared across 101 local authority projects around the country.

Byles: "help all members of the community to access services such as education, health and employment advice in a single place"

The fund builds on the BSF programme, which is aiding the regeneration of communities. Projects already receiving funding include a “super campus” in St John's Wood, London, and a series of “hubs” in County Durham, both of which aim to provide a range of services for local people.

Tim Byles, chief executive of Partnerships for Schools, said: “The BSF and Academies programmes are already helping to encourage wider community engagement by making schools hubs for the local area.

“Mirroring how people live their lives now, the work we are doing, together with the developments in the white paper, will help all members of the community to access services such as education, health and employment advice in a single place.”