Today the Schools Standards Minister David Miliband announced a new strategic partnership for the delivery of the Primary and Key Stage 3 Strategies, whose programmes support the government’s agenda of improving teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools.
Following an intensive tendering process, The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has selected The Capita Group plc to support the design and delivery of the Primary Strategy, including the focus on literacy and numeracy standards in primary schools, as well as the work of the Key Stage 3 Strategy in supporting teaching and learning of 11 to 16 year olds. The new five year contract will start on 1 April 2005.
The Department placed a notice in the European Journal in May 2003 inviting expressions of interest in the contract to provide educational and operational support services for the National Strategies. Forty one companies responded to the notice, of which six submitted Pre-Qualification Questionnaires. These were evaluated in November 2003 and two companies that met the Department’s minimum standards of economic and financial standing and technical capacity were invited to negotiate for the contract and to submit their best and final offers by the end of June 2004.
Schools Standards Minister David Miliband said:
The National Strategies have played a significant part in helping teachers to raise standards of learning across the whole curriculum, and in particular literacy and numeracy standards in the primary years. This new partnership offers us the opportunity to build on this success and to take forward key elements of our vision for raising standards in schools set out in the recent five year strategic plan for children and learners.
The Executive Chairman of Capita, Rod Aldridge said:
The National Strategies represent one of the most ambitious change management programmes in education, and their execution to date has had a significant impact on improving standards in learning. We look forward to working with the Government to ensure levels of achievement are increased even further so that its ambitious targets are met.
Capita awarded the national strategies contract
Department for education and skills
