RM selected to provide managed ICT services to Derby City BSF programme
RM has been chosen to provide managed ICT services for the Derby City Council's BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme. RM will provide the services as part of the Balfour Beatty Education consortium, which has been appointed preferred bidder for the contract.
Derby City Council's BSF programme is part of wave 5 of the national BSF programme. It comprises 18 establishments (secondary schools, special needs schools and pupil referral units), to be delivered over three phases. Across the three phases, the contract is expected to be worth £35m to RM. The first three schools will open in September 2012
RM will provide an innovative managed ICT service designed to improve attainment, expand learning opportunities, raise skill levels, and reach out to parents and carers. The provision of advanced ICT systems to individual schools and a City-wide learning platform will be underpinned by comprehensive change management and professional development programme.
Terry Sweeney, Chief Executive of RM, said:
"We are proud that Derby City Council has chosen to work with us and our Balfour Beatty Education colleagues to deliver 21st century learning environments in the City. We are looking forward to working with educationalists and pupils across the City to make a real difference to educational standards.
"This is the eighth BSF programme RM has been appointed for so far this financial year. It is an enormous privilege to be involved in improving school environments for so many pupils. We are wholly committed to doing everything we can to help teachers to teach and learners to learn in the all of the schools where we are working."
Evonne Williams, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People's Services, said:
"It's taken a lot of effort on the part of lots of hard working people to get the Council to this point and choosing a preferred bidder represents a real milestone in the BSF project. Subject to financial close, this decision will allow the real work to begin in the autumn and make some of the biggest changes to schools the city has ever seen. I look forward to following the progress of the all these projects."
For further information, please contact:
Iain McIntosh/Phil Hemmings, RM plc |
08450 700300 |
Chris Blundell/Franziska Boehnke, Brunswick |
020 7404 5959 |
Notes:
1. The RM Group is a leading provider of educational solutions that help teachers to teach and learners to learn. RM works closely with educationalists to create new products, processes and technology which improve education. RM is listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol RM.L, ISIN GB0002870417. Further details are available at ww.rm.com/investors and through the Group's investor blog at rminvestors.wordpress.com
2. BSF (Building Schools for the Future) is the largest single schools capital investment programme for over 50 years. BSF will provide world-class teaching and learning environments for all pupils, teachers and communities in England. A key part of the initiative is to ensure that local authorities develop a sustainable, area-wide ICT strategy for schools in line with the Government's personalised learning agenda: 10% of the funding is ring-fenced for ICT.