Rm Regulatory News (RM.)

31 May 2007 07:01

RM PLC31 May 2007 31st May 2007 RM to be appointed preferred bidder for Islington Building Schools for the Future ICT Contract RM has been informed by Islington Council that it has been selected, as part ofthe Transform Schools consortium, to provide ICT services to the Council'sBuilding Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Islington's BSF programme covers eight schools and two pupil referral units andwill be delivered in three phases. Work on the first phase schools will start inearly 2008. RM will be responsible for designing and implementing asophisticated managed ICT service that will be fully integrated into the fabricof the new schools. Commenting on the contract, Tim Pearson, CEO of RM, said: "ICT has a key role to play in the school of the future: It can transform theway teachers work and, of course, for pupils it's part of everyday life.Islington Council set high standards for its BSF project and we look forward toworking with them, and our Transform Schools partners, to making education evenbetter in Islington. "This is the sixth BSF programme we've been selected for and, importantly, thefirst winning consortium bid we've been involved with. Islington is also thefirst Local Authority to procure its BSF programme under the EU competitivedialogue procedure; we've worked hard through that process to develop acompelling ICT vision for the Islington's schools." Cllr Ursula Woolley, Islington Council's Executive Member for Children and YoungPeople, said: "This is a huge step forwards for education in Islington. We need to get itright, which is why our standards for choosing a BSF partner were so high. We'vebeen clear the whole time that the new school buildings need to welcome, inspireand support all Islington pupils to help them achieve their full potential.Investing in our secondary schools and the future of all our young people is atop priority for the council - which is why we're putting millions of poundsinto it." Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, said: "We congratulate Islington on nominating their selected bidder, which is greatnews for the national BSF programme, and even better news for the schoolchildren and communities of Islington. The new and improved buildings,facilities and technology will have an enormous impact on education and the lifechances of every child." For further information, please contact:Mike Greig/Phil Hemmings, RM plc 08450 700300Mark Antelme, Brunswick 020 7404 5959 Notes to Editors: Founded in 1973, the RM Group is a leading provider of educational products andservices to schools, colleges and universities, local government and centralgovernment education departments and agencies. RM works closely witheducationalists to create new products, processes and technology which improveteaching and learning. Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a £45 billion Department for Educationand Skills initiative that will rebuild or substantially refurbish all Englishsecondary schools over the next 10-15 years. A key part of the initiative is toensure that schools develop a sustainable ICT strategy focused on improvingteaching and learning. Partnerships for Schools, the government agencyresponsible for delivering the BSF programme, has set a budget of £1,450 perpupil (over five years) for the delivery of managed ICT services in BSF schools. The Transform Schools consortium comprises Balfour Beatty Capital, BuildingDesign Partnership, Haden and RM. RM has been chosen as ICT supplier for six BSF projects so far - Islington,Knowsley, Lambeth, Leeds, Stoke-on-Trent and Solihull. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange