Teachers should be involved in BSF earlier, says report

The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme should incorporate more input from teachers, it has been suggested.

A report into the scheme - which involves the development of hundreds of new and refurbished schools - has argued that this will improve the functionality of the institutions, notes the Guardian.

Issued by the Teacher Support Network (TSN) and the British Council for School Environments, it argues that the designs are being jeopardised because developers are not sufficiently consulting with school staff.

Spokeswoman for TSN Hannah Essex said: "Teachers have very strong opinions about what is needed from their school," according to the paper.

Instead of only incorporating teachers' views towards the final stages of the development, they should be involved from an earlier stage, before the design has been approved and submitted, suggests the organisation.

According to the news source, schools minister Jim Knight last week set a new minimum threshold for BSF designs, which must be met before they can be approved.