Dear Parent/Carer,
Parents’ Meetings
First of all, on behalf of the Trustees, can I apologise to you all for the enforced closure of the school building and the subsequent interruptions to the education of your children. This was not an easy decision to take but the safety of students and staff has been our paramount concern. I am pleased to say that the safe reopening, albeit phased, is well underway and attendance is very good. The Board is fully supportive of the plans being implemented by Mr Campbell and his staff to help our students catch up and we will ensure that any necessary resources are available to help expedite this.
That said, I am aware of the anxieties and anger surrounding this decision to keep the school closed and the enforced switch to remote learning, which is not a substitute for face to face lessons.
A number of parents have expressed concern at the lack of detail in the bulletins posted by the Trust on the school website and in texts and there have been several requests for meetings with representatives of the Trust. We have always been willing to meet with parents but at a time and venue which is most appropriate for the majority of families, and when we were in a better position to share information. We feel the school must be the best venue and we are now able to access a suitably large space in the early evenings. However, I am aware from an analysis of the messages we have received that whilst there are several common concerns, particularly around communications, there are other issues which are likely to pertain to a particular year group. For that reason and to try to accommodate all parents who wish to attend, we are proposing two sessions; one on Tuesday 12th December 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm for years 7, 8, 9 and one on Wednesday 13th December 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm for years 10, 11, 12 and 13. Apologies in advance to families with children across those groupings, please feel free to choose or to attend more than one, whichever works best for you.
I know that a number of messages have mentioned the PFI scheme. For context and background I have attached a very simplified explanation of the government scheme under which the school was built, the Private Finance Initiative.
I hope that this is helpful and that the dates and times will work for the majority of parents who wish to speak to us.
Yours sincerely,
George Snaith
Chair of Trustees
Enc
PFI information
Gosforth Academy, Knightsbridge, Great North Road, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 2JH
admin@gosforthgroup.org.uk
Private Finance Initiative
For some context and background I feel I should explain a little more about our position in regard to the school building. The school was built under the first round of the Private Finance Initiative, PFI 1, a government scheme in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s to encourage the private sector to take on the construction of important public buildings; hospitals, fire and police stations and schools. For schools under PFI, a private company takes on construction and retains ownership of the building for a period of at least 25 years. During that time the PFI Company has responsibility for facilities management for which a fee, the Unitary Charge, is deducted annually from the school budget. Through a Project Agreement between the Local Authority and the PFI company, the building is available for school to use during normal school hours and an agreed but limited amount of other hours/days over the year. The PFI company also has full control over lettings to other party users, in the evenings, at weekends and during the school holidays. They are allowed to generate an income stream from these lettings. The Trust has no control over that at all.
In other areas where PFI built schools have joined Multi Academy Trusts, the contract or Project Agreement is usually reassigned from the Local Authority to the Trust, thereby establishing a legal relationship. With PFI 1 in Newcastle, six schools were built under the Project Agreement, therefore the Council retains the legal relationship. The school building will come to the Trust at the end of the Project Agreement in about 6 years’ time.