#psbp

Pull back • Scan • Breathe • Proceed

*an anxiety strategy I came up with and personally use

**note: go at your own pace. time is relevant. if it takes you days to complete this technique, that’s perfectly fine.

Pull back: Distance. Get all the distance you can. Get physical distance. Get mental distance. Get distance from the object of this moment, get distance from the situation, get distance from your most intense feelings.

Scan: This is where we observe. After stepping back, observe. Step out of the woods and see the forest; the big picture. Observe your feelings. Observe your instincts and your intuition. Don’t make a decision. Don’t do anything except observe.

Breathe: With observations in mind and distance still maintained, breathe. Keep breathing. Keep breathing. That’s all. You just observed, and it was hard work. Take it easy, and breathe.

~If you still feel intense emotions, go back to step one and repeat the process until you’re ready for this step.~

Proceed: Do what you gotta do. Trust your instincts, take action, and then accept the new situation.

The philosophy behind school buildings development underwent a seismic shift when power changed hands in 2010. Out went the admirable but fuzzy ideals of education transformation, and in came pragmatism. Building projects will now deal with the two Ds – dilapidation and demand. This is a change in focus to dealing with the very worst buildings (though not necessarily the worst schools by exam results), and the simple legal requirement of providing a school place for every child that needs one. 

School building projects tend to lead to another two Ds – delays and disruption. The high profile Priority Schools Building Programme has slipped from its original timetable as the DfE mulls over the last cases to be included in the first tranche of 100 schools. Compared to the programme that PSBP is replacing, BSF, the time lag is a blink of an eye. I’m sure there are many school buildings professionals reading this that recall the two-year bidding process and six-month contract negotiations that followed. BSF could be a long and exhausting process (and very unrewarding if you didn’t win), even before you started any construction work.  

There are two things one hopes will happen for the rest of 2012. Firstly that these delays aren’t significant – the construction industry needs these projects to start promptly. The government has a solid infrastructure pipeline now in place but much of it begins in 2013 or beyond. Secondly it would be great if the extra time spent on the preparatory stages of the PSBP is spent wisely. The choice of schools for PSBP will be based on a property survey providing the first set of nationwide data on school buildings since 2005. It’s a very big ask to survey several thousand schools, categorise them, and then begin work on them straight away. Rebuilding the worst schools is common sense, however even relatively new and superficially sound schools estates can throw up hidden dangers. A regional contractor working on an SEN school close UBM’s North Kent office was stung badly by defective gas and water pipes that required substantial remedial work – the contractor didn’t survive this unexpected delay. The school in question first opened in 1983. 

PSBP throws up a few posers – project teams will know they’re working on appalling buildings, but how many unexpected and costly problems will appear onsite? Furthermore, how will the risk of cost overruns be factored into PFI contracts? PSBP aspires to rebuild substantial parts of old schools for only £20m when many new City Academies have been costing around £30 – 35m. It’s often said that around half of all building projects finish up being delivered late and overbudget. It’s going to take phenomenal project management and cost control skills for PSBP to meet the industry average.