PLMR FEATURED IN THE GUARDIAN

The work that PLMR does for Durand Academy, one of the most innovative, pioneering schools in the country, was featured today in The Guardian..

The Guardian is one of the UK’s most respected and longest established newspapers.

PLMR is proud to have been working with Durand Academy for a number of years and is currently driving forward the planning and project management for the UK’s first free of charge state boarding school for them.  This will provide the very best in educational opportunity to children who would not otherwise have that choice.

The article featured select excerpts of the quotes provided to The Guardian, which follow below in full, from both PLMR and the school.

Quote provided by PLMR to The Guardian:

“We are hugely proud to work for Durand Academy, a school that is transforming life opportunities for children from one of the most socially disadvantaged areas in the country.

“The brief cited is only a small element of the work we do for the school, which is undertaking one of the most ambitious education projects in the UK.

“We provide support across external relations, planning, the design & build framework, managing relationships with contractors, community engagement, media relations, government relations, curriculum development research, extended day research, awareness raising around the school’s approach, fundraising for the Trust, project management, project administration, project strategy, website management and diary management for senior staff.

“It will come as no surprise that the school does not have the time or resource to manage all of these processes, while they are focusing on delivering an outstanding education to 1000 children in the UK’s biggest primary school.

“There are many services we supply that are common expenditure items for most schools – i.e. website copy writing and design, photography, printing etc. and would be regarded as a normal use of a school’s admin budget.

“However, both PLMR and Durand are mindful of the Coalition Government’s insistence that public funds should not be used for lobbying. Over an extended period, the revenues from commercial activities at Durand have exceeded PLMR’s fees many times over for this portion of our activity.

“Consequently, we can be comfortable that public funds are not being used to pay for services, such as lobbying, that would be unusual or in any way controversial.”

Quote provided by Greg Martin, Executive Head of Durand Academy to The Guardian:

“Without PLMR’s comprehensive support we would not have been able to deliver this project, which will give choice and opportunity to thousands.  Their team are working flat out to help us drive the project forward and broaden the educational horizons for inner city children.

When we achieve that and show that the association between income and attainment does not have to persist, it will have been worth it.  When we see a Durand student, who grew up on a tough estate, going to Oxbridge, it will have been worth it. And when that child graduates and passes their high aspirations and sense of pride to the next generation and the one after that, it will have been more than worth it.”

 

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