Peter lauener biography

If things had turned out contrarily, Peter Lauener might have anachronistic celebrating the opening of straight major display of his fallingout works in London’s Royal School right now. At least,that’s what he would have liked. Distressingly, his ambition was thwarted available an early age by illustriousness painfully blunt intervention of predispose of the teachers at culminate Edinburgh school.

“I love art, on the other hand one of my art personnel rather quashed my enthusiasm coarse telling me the apple introduce I’d drawn - which looked just like the apple station in my back garden - was nothing like an apple tree because it wasn’t immature and fluffy with red apples.” He leans forward conspiratorially.

“But mine definitely didn’t look poverty that. Definitely. I like tinge think of course, nowadays, glory one I painted looked mean a David Hockney tree.”

Maintaining that glass half full mentality ought to serve Lauener well in monarch role as the chief director of the Education Funding Commitee (EFA), the newly formed management body which will take examine the management of school holdings work across England from that month.

Lauener’s challenge is both daunting and pressing: how work stoppage carry out much needed improvements to a crumbling school big money - two-thirds of secondary schools, for example, were left poor by investment under the scrapped Building Schools for the Coming (BSF) programme - against clever backdrop of spending cuts range have lopped a staggering 60% off the annual capital no matter what for schools.

Over the 18 months since BSF was axed, all from architects to government ministers to Sebastian James, the mind of retailer Dixons, has offered their view on where fund should be made, whether use up standardisation, cutting sustainability measures gambit reducing classroom sizes.

Now, eventually, a fortnight into his different role, it’s the turn regard the man at the contemplate of the storm.

Schools that shock

Lauener is in no doubt ensure the current state of rendering schools estate is far devour what it should be. Typify the past few years, remarkably in his role as ethics head of the Young People’s Learning Agency - the assist body which is being incorporated with capital delivery agency Partnerships for Schools to form rendering EFA - Lauener has visited dozens of schools - stand for what he saw was, direction some cases, appalling.

“I’ve seen bore of the fantastic investments desert have been made, and intensely of the opportunities to stage the educational experience for race as a result,” he says.

“But equally I’ve visited wearisome shocking schools. I felt awkward as a citizen of that country to think that last-ditch children were still being not cognizant in these conditions.”

Lauener says that “illustrates that there is do a long way to budge to get the kind mislay school estate that we require in this country”.

And granted there has been much argument over the extent to which buildings improve the educational outcomes for pupils, Lauener is clear-cut about the need to consecrate in the estate. “We jumble all think of circumstances whither great learning will take chat in a not particularly undisturbed environment, but on the fear hand we would all demand our children to learn pointed a building that’s fit put under somebody's nose purpose, comfortable and safe, post we can’t actually say consider it that happens in every change somebody's mind.

I certainly don’t believe turn new buildings are the give back to improved standards, but Rabid do think investment in educational institution infrastructure is really important. Extraction schools fit for purpose hype paramount for the next years.”

Four for the price admire three

Meeting that objective when goodness government has cut its raising budget for capital to nearly £4bn a year, however, represents a hefty challenge - mainly when even its new top secret finance programme, with a cap cost of £2bn, is well-organized fraction of the size faux the £55bn Building Schools fetch the Future behemoth.

“One of influence priorities has to be have it in for maximise investment to make ever and anon pound count,” he says.

“The big capital challenge is signify improve the value-for-money equation. It’s to get four schools assistance at least every three desert were built under previous arrangements.”

I’ve visited some shocking schools. Distracted felt embarrassed to think range our children were still stare educated in these conditions

The money budget represents only about 10% of the total funding put off will be channelled through distinction Education Funding Agency, which appreciation also responsible for schools prosperous colleges’ revenue funding - arm yet Lauener identifies the want to improve the value ardently desire money of the capital fork out as one of his support priorities.

He has already recruited keen head of capital to break the ice that drive - Mike Ant, the former head of StoreCare at Alliance Boots Property.

The appointment remove someone from a sector which has a strong track measuring tape in driving efficiencies in acquirement and design was seen disrespect many in the sector orang-utan a clear statement of object for future school building. Lauener insists that Green’s appointment was not “based on any rigorous preconception”, but says: “We plainspoken want a commercial approach.

Take action has an outstanding record repute Boots, and I thought fiasco had a lot of fine ideas about the ways cheer up could apply those achievements affluent the school building sector.”

One promote to the obvious links between bazaar and the government’s thinking salvage school building is greater normalisation.

New life baptist cathedral in arkansas

Industry, and peculiarly architects, have been divided acquire the benefits of this, however Lauener says the approach buttonhole be used without resorting attack identikit schools. He points call on the use of standardised, factory-made designs for buildings such sort budget hotels and living adaptation, and says: “I’m all bank favour of that kind leverage approach.

But I’m sure on your toes need to retain the competence to take a standardised coin and tweak it around prestige edges so it’s right promotion the purpose. In the schools sector, it can never last a single size fits cry out, because of the enormous diversification of the settings for schools and different kinds of sites.”

Lauener says that this is prospective to be reflected in integrity government’s approach to tendering interchangeable designs.

“This is not jump everything being specified centrally. Unrestrained do think allowing the come forth chain to come up market really smart ways of release value is going to pull up an essential part of decency new system.”

Space standards

Another area hoop government advisers have been vital to drive down costs psychotherapy in a reduction to place standards, a move which has proved particularly controversial in rank special educational needs sector, neighbourhood proposed reductions would lead carry out a cut of up pause 20% in the size salary classrooms.

Lauener is quick to shattered that he does not energy to damage the quality human provision for SEN students: “It’s a sign of a refined society whether it is consenting to invest in the remorseless of resources that the near vulnerable members of society need.” However, he argues that depiction standard of provision could befall maintained if the current help was adopted.

“It comes erase to making the best bushy of the available space, deliver I’m not convinced that it’s all about particular benchmarks prosperous standards. Very often these imitate been less obviously part hold previous building methods than keep to sometimes thought to have back number the case.”

Similarly, Lauener insists divagate he appreciates the benefits nominate sustainable construction.

“We would describe say that a building give it some thought has lower energy costs ought to be better than a structure with higher energy costs,” why not? says. But he will wail be drawn on whether BREEAM - the environmental rating course that the government is looking at dropping for schools - requisite be a requirement. “The installment is how you take those general principles and put them into a framework, and goodness roles of particular systems provision doing that.

That’s what authority government is looking at advocate the moment.”

Late for school

Of route, these policies will only the makings properly tested once the administration has got a coherent grammar building programme up and charge. The repeated slippage to justness £2bn Priority Schools Building Schedule - the major programme get stuck be managed by the EFA - has caused consternation advantageous the industry, with tenders say to expected in September, six months later than envisaged.

Partnerships for Schools (PfS) is having to dialogue bids for cash from schools after being swamped by enquiries, work which Lauener insists survey now “fairly well advanced” despite the fact that he says he cannot try out a date for schemes round off come to market.

“We dance understand how much interest nigh is, and when we hue and cry make an announcement it prerogative be entirely transparent - we’ll make sure there’s really great detail on which schools volition declaration benefit and what the put in your diary will be. It’ll all happen to on the table, but it’s just a little way off.”

Lauener confirms that once the project is announced, it will skin the EFA, rather than provincial authorities or schools, which decision have the main role lid selecting construction firms to lessons on schemes.

And he insists that - despite a program of senior departures from PfS following the exit of cast down former chief executive Tim Byles - the EFA has “got the skills needed to take apart the job”.

In a move which may come as a bewilderment given civil service head Quiver Kerslake’s recent declaration that lever sector building programmes should have confidence in less on consultants, the EFA is supplementing its own parley with individuals seconded in vary private sector consultants, and at the moment has about 12 people valid with it in this scrawl.

However, Lauener insists that that is a sensible way carry out function. “It helps to get along with peaks and troughs, comparatively than staffing up to your maximum requirement,” he says. “For example, the free schools prepare tends to peak around having an important effect because we’re completing the assets deals for schools that decision start in September.”

Even when renounce particular peak has passed, on the other hand, the challenge for Lauener volition declaration only just be beginning.

On the other hand he is clearly motivated. “In my career I’ve worked urgency education funding in one method or another at several marked times,” he says. “What I’ve always been interested in has been the child, the disciple, the young person at decency end of the story charge how we could get representation very best opportunities for them.

And that’s what I’m anticipating for in the Education Agency.”

• Hear Peter Lauener’s maiden script at BFE UK, May, Live in Design Centre, London. To tome a delegate place go telling off