The Glasgow schools project - known officially as Project 2002 - is a key reference point for everyone assessing the ambitions and successes of PPP. Launched in August last year, the project represents the biggest schools investment programme ever seen in the UK.
It is planned that this PPP between Glasgow City Council and 3ED - a consortium involving the Miller Group, Amey plc and Halifax plc - will put the city's secondary schools at the forefront of twenty-first century education. The networked IT provision for the 30,000 pupils in all secondary schools should make Glasgow a world leader.
More than #220m is being spent immediately on rebuilding and upgrading of the city's 29 secondary schools, and a new primary and nursery school at Knightswood, which is currently nearing completion.
There will be 11 new secondary schools built over the next three years, most on sites adjacent to the old schools. Of the remaining 18 secondaries, eight will have major extensions as well as being completely modernised, and 10 will undergo major refurbishment.
Work on all the schools, except the new St Thomas Aquinas Secondary in Jordanhill, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2002 - thus the title Project 2002.
Construction work is under way at four schools - Hillhead High, Holyrood Secondary, Notre Dame High and the soon to be completed extensions at Cleveden Secondary. Three new schools - Lochend Community School, St Andrew's Secondary and St Mungo's Academy are under construction. The former Craigbank School is undergoing a #6m modernisation and by next year will be home to the newly named St Paul's High (Bellarmine Secondary).
Every classroom will be wired up to a citywide electronic learning network, containing a bank of educational programmes. All 30,000 pupils will have their own e-mail addresses and instant access to the worldwide web.
Every school, depending on size, will have between five and 14 new information and communication technology (ICT) rooms, each equipped with 20 PCs for pupils and one for the teacher. The citywide technology network will initially support a total of 8000 computers, with capacity eventually for 18,000. Under the terms of Project 2002, all telephony between city schools and the education department, as well as internet and intranet calls, will be free.
The city council has already accelerated the schools ICT programme with a one-off injection of #330,000 to ensure that all schools have at least some immediate network presence via new computers and ICT rooms.
Under Project 2002, all schools will also have improved indoor and outdoor sports and fitness facilities, enhanced social areas, a fully equipped library, double glazing, modern classrooms and CCTV systems.
Several schools will incorporate specialised centres of excellence, with a new-build school of sport at Bellahouston Academy, a new studio complex for the dance school of Scotland at Knightswood Secondary and a new international language school at Shawlands Academy.
Capital funding of #310m has come through Halifax plc.
The project is backed by a #105m loan from the European Investment Bank. The value of the 30-year contract is #1.2bn, with the council paying 3ED #41m per year from 2003, covering the #420m investment - #220m now and #200m during the contract - as well as the IT service and running costs.
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