Barnsley inks BSF IT deal with Civica

Software supplier to provide £22m-worth of IT for schools in the area

Children will get access to more IT in the Barnsley area

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council (BMBC) has appointed software firm Civica to deliver £22m-worth of IT for its schools, as part of a wider contract with a consortium led by construction firm Laing O’Rourke.

The programme will see all 13 secondary schools in the area replaced with nine newly built Advanced Learning Centres (ALCs), and a complete refurbishment of two special schools – all of which will be equipped with laptops for teachers, desktops for students and interactive whiteboards.

The overhaul is part of the government's £45bn Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Stephen Beechey, education sector leader at Laing O'Rourke said: "This programme is at the heart of regenerating Barnsley's communities. We are extremely excited to be a preferred bidder in delivering this life-changing commitment.”

Civica will implement the IT in three phases, to give students and teachers access to technology resources before the physical refurbishment of the buildings is completed.