Rm Regulatory News (RM.)

11 Apr 2008 07:00

RM PLC11 April 2008 11 April 2008 RM chosen as ICT supplier for Newham BSF ICT project RM has been selected by the London Borough of Newham to provide ICT services tothe Borough's BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme. RM will deliverthe services as part of the Newham Learning Partnership (NLP), a LaingO'Rourke-led consortium in which RM will hold a 15% stake and which has beenappointed selected bidder for the programme. Newham's BSF programme covers 15schools and a sixth form centre, serving over 19,000 pupils. The project, which is estimated to be worth approximately £53m to RM over elevenyears, will provide a sophisticated and flexible managed ICT service to Newham'ssecondary schools. This will include in-school systems and softwareinfrastructure, a central data centre, and integration with the London Grid forLearning's managed learning environment. RM will also be part of Newham's LEP(Local Education Partnership), a public-private vehicle tasked with ensuringNewham's secondary school estate meets the challenges of the 21st Century to thebenefit of all of Newham's learners. Commenting on the contract, Tim Pearson, CEO of RM, said: 'Newham has a bold vision for education and we're delighted to be part of it. Wehave a long and successful track record providing innovative ICT for learnersand teachers in the Borough, most recently through the Connected Learningprogramme which has contributed to a real improvement in standards in primaryschools. We're looking forward to working with education managers in the Boroughand with Laing O'Rourke, our consortium partners, to help implement Newham'sStrategy for Change. 'The momentum of the BSF programme continues. This is the third project we'vewon since the beginning of the calendar year - ahead of our target and a clearindication that the quality of our ICT proposition is widely recognised.' Councillor Quintin Peppiatt, Newham Council's Cabinet member for Children andYoung People, said: 'I am delighted that we have chosen a first class partner in NLP to work with usto deliver new secondary school facilities across the borough. We are excitedthat within a year we will start to see new school buildings that will allow oursecondary schools to deliver a transformed curriculum for the young people ofNewham.' Tim Byles, Chief Executive of PfS, the government agency responsible fordelivering the BSF programme nationwide, said: 'We congratulate Newham on reaching this important milestone on their journey totransform education for school children and communities in the area. The new andimproved buildings, facilities and technology will have an enormous impact onthe life chances of every child in Newham for decades to come, and I lookforward to charting the progress of this exciting scheme.' For further information, please contact: Mike Greig/Phil Hemmings, RM plc 08450 700300Mark Antelme, Brunswick 020 7404 5959 Notes to Editors: 1.Founded in 1973, the RM Group is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, colleges and universities, local government and central government education departments and agencies. RM works closely with educationalists to create new products, processes and technology which improve teaching and learning. RM is listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange under the symbol RM.L, ISIN GB0002870417. 2.BSF (Building Schools for the Future) is the largest single schools capital investment programme for over 50 years. It aims to rebuild or renew every one of England's 3,500 state secondary schools during the lifetime of the programme. 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. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange