Education has a vital role to play in creating a fair and a just society, building strong communities and developing a knowledge based economy. Education is the route to equality of opportunity for all and can help people to release their potential not only during their time at school but also throughout their working lives.

The recent White Paper, Schools - Achieving Success, highlighted the drive to focus more closely than ever before on the needs, aptitudes and aspirations of individual pupils. As changing social and economic conditions increase the need for learning, so too technological advances alter the way that we learn. The White Paper sets out a major agenda for transforming secondary education in particular, with greater institutional diversity combined with new ways of helping schools work with one another. Key developments for the future that are reflected in the document include:
• Increased use of information and communication technology (ICT), across the curriculum and age range;
• Greater flexibility in the curriculum;
• An emphasis on 'early years' provision, both alongside schools and as part of cross-sector center's; l Inclusion of more pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools;
• 'Opening up' of the school to a range of users;
• An increase in the number of school support staff.

Government expenditure on capital works at schools is set to increase sharply over the next few years giving Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and schools greater opportunities to improve their school buildings. It is essential that funds are spent wisely and a range of funding sources are investigated - both public and private - across the LEA as a whole. This is particularly relevant as schools become focal points for their communities, providing a range of family and community services. New school or refurbishment projects that are undertaken will also need to address the major initiatives in the construction industry including:
• The promotion of good design in public buildings, along the lines encouraged by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE);
• The development of designs which will minimise the environmental impact of building through various means such as low energy use;
• Working to achieve the targets of Rethinking Construction, like reduced wastage, improved delivery time and better value for money.

This publication touches on all these issues and considers their accommodation implications. Its intention is to inspire good quality design that serves the needs of pupils and the wider community.