SpaceZero Holds Majority share as Preferred Partner in Country’s PSBP Schools

Having recently bid on four out of five PF2 batches across the UK, SpaceZero secured contracts with two schemes – one in the North East region, and another in the North West. Out of the country’s 45 PSBP PF2 schools, SpaceZero has bid on, completed work with, or is currently working on 24 – more than any other interior architecture company in the country.

In December, Hylton Castle Primary School, Sunderland, became the first government funded PSBP PF2 school to open its doors, welcoming students to transformed education environments, complete with furniture, fixtures and equipment specially designed to improve learning outcomes and inspire students for generations to come.

SpaceZero has also bid on, completed work with, or is currently working on 27 per cent of the 208 PSBP1 capital batch schools in the UK.

The most recent of the PSBP1 batches SpaceZero has secured is on the Isle of Wight – the last PSBP1 batch planned for construction in the UK.

Wayne Taylor, managing director of SpaceZero, said:

“We’re pleased to have been selected as the FFE consultancy on such a high proportion of schools under the PSBP schemes which, like SpaceZero, create learning environments that set new standards in the education sector – but the work has not been without its challenges.

“Designing and developing education spaces that are intelligent, provide long-term flexibility and are inspirational while functional is something that’s been part of SpaceZero’s ethos since we won our first education contract in 2009, though some members of the team were working on education projects seven years prior to this. We’ll be working closely with the architects contracted to these batches to ensure we meet the individual needs of each school, adapting our designs to their core values to ensure students enjoy stimulating educational, social and recreational facilities that promote positive learning outcomes.”

The Priority Schools Building Programme was established in 2011 to address the needs of the schools across the country that are in poor condition and require urgent repair. Through the programme, the majority of schools highlighted as needing to be rebuilt or refurbished to transform working and environmental conditions will be funded by the Education Funding Agency (EFA). However, under the PSBP scheme, the EFA will also deliver five batches of 46 schools through ‘PF2’, the government’s new approach to private finance.

PSBP2 – a further phase of the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP), with a value of around £2 billion – is expected to launch later this year.