Written question asked by Brian Iddon (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 December 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 10 December 2009. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 December 2009 on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of Building Schools for the Future funding has been spent on laboratories for practical science in each of the last four years; and whether he has plans to prioritise school science in the next Building Schools for the Future funding round.

Answer: The Department for Children Schools and Families does not collect information about the funding of particular types of space.However, we know that over the last four years 81 new secondary schools have been built with the benefit of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) funding, at an average cost of £25 million. As each of these schools will have facilities for teaching practical science totalling on average 8 to 10 per cent. of the gross floor area, the cost of providing science accommodation at all these schools can be estimated at around £162 million to £203 million. In the same period, 27 schools have been refurbished and/or extended with BSF funding and many of these projects are likely to include improvements to science accommodation.The aim of BSF, the largest capital investment programme for 50 years, is to provide world-class teaching and learning environments across the whole curriculum, including science. The Department does not intend, therefore, to prioritise school science in future BSF rounds.The Department is committed to excellent science accommodation, demonstrated by Project Faraday which has developed exemplar designs for school laboratories to meet the needs of 21st century practical science teaching. These exemplar projects, many of which are already built, will inform and inspire all those involved in BSF.For more information on Project Faraday see:"www.teachernet.gov.uk/schoolbuildings/"

Secondary information