Building Slums for the Future

Building Slums for the Future

Five years ago I attended a Westminster briefing. This was in Westminster, London. Here politicians and slum-builders congratulated themselves on stage on the BSF programme and the like. At this time I was already a paid up member of the Anti-Academies Alliance.

First hand I had observed three main ways in which schooling had been diminished. In my opinion they were academisation, PFI new-builds and Ofsted. I could not sit back.

I took my seat on the front row after the break. Got chatting to the woman next to me. She was some sort of academy broker and quite proud of it. I didn't tell her what I thought because it would not have helped my cause. I was there to learn, but inevitably as one self-satisfied architect followed one self-satisfied builder I felt the truth clamouring to be let out. Then when the woman on the next row described how their old school was in ruins but the only new building offered was not good enough and then burst into tears, I also had had enough.

I was given the microphone, and told the assembled group that there were schools in Leeds in mourning for their old buildings. And a bit more besides. I thought I was a lone voice, but later met up with other contributors.

It is four years later. The buildings are still rubbish, badly designed, although mostly they have stopped leaking. however the effect on education is there for all to see who will look.

In 2008 the Architects' magazine was already in tears itself. They described BSF as an opportunity lost. No politicians commented. (This originally written in 2015).