29 Jul 2004

Interserve, the support services group, has been named preferred bidder by the Borough of Telford & Wrekin for its schools PFI scheme.  Interserve group companies will provide services worth some £110 million in design, construction and operational fees.  Interserve is partnering with HBOS as equal investors in the scheme, the tenth on which the organisations have worked together.

The scheme involves the Hadley Learning Community Project, which provides all-inclusive accommodation for primary, secondary and special  schools, together with a Children’s Centre, Lifelong Learning and Leisure facilities including a community Library.

A specialist school for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties will be built on a separate site.  This facility, known as Jigsaw, includes residential accommodation for the children. Jigsaw is a unique scheme which adopts a partnership approach across Education, Social Care and the local Primary Care Trust, to ensure that in future the Borough reduces its dependence on Out of Borough residential placements and includes some of its most vulnerable young people in the Telford Community.

Work on the design will begin immediately, with the construction commencing in early 2005. The schools will open ready for the school year September 2006. Interserve will then provide facilities management services over a 25-year period including:

- caretaking and porterage 
- estates management
- catering, cleaning and security
- helpdesk
- grounds maintenance
- childcare

Cabinet member for education Councillor Peggie Harrison said: “ This is an exciting new development which will offer a wealth of facilities for local people. In particular it will provide modern, state of the art purpose-built primary, secondary and special schools, together with facilities for leisure, lifelong learning and young children and their families. We look forward to working in partnership with Interserve as well as schools and the local communities”.

Interserve Investments Plc is leading Interserve’s contract team and will manage the group’s equity investment in the PFI special purpose company. Bruce Melizan, Managing Director of Interserve Investments, commented: “This announcement is excellent news. This innovative project allows Interserve to contribute fully to the education and services in the local community of Hadley, and takes our PFI education portfolio to 37 schools and colleges across eight projects – with a total population of just over 22,800 pupils.”