An Education Director from Australia is returning to Sandwell next month to learn lessons from the Council's programme to transform schools across the borough.

Steve Boyle, Project Director for the Corio/Norlane Regeneration project in Geelong, Victoria, was so impressed with the Council's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme when he visited last year that he is returning for a second visit.

The BSF programme aims to replace or extensively refurbish all secondary schools in Sandwell, providing hi-tech teaching and learning facilities, and will extend access to learning, raise aspirations and improve educational achievement amongst the whole community.

Councillor Ian Jones, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "We are really delighted to be welcoming back our friend from Australia.

"We will be using this visit as an opportunity to update Steve on what we have achieved over the past year and share ideas and experiences that will help both programmes improve the lives of people in Sandwell and Geelong."

Steve Boyle said: "I am involved in a community regeneration project which is similar to BSF, which will incorporate significant changes in how we deliver education.

"I visited the borough in November 2007 and I will be interested to see how Sandwell is progressing in tackling similar issues to us, using the BSF programme."

During the two-day visit, on September 3 and 4, Steve will be accompanying members of the BSF project team on a tour of the borough, which will include a discussion of regeneration issues at West Bromwich’s landmark The Public building.

Steve will also be visiting St Michael’s CE School Business & Enterprise College and Holly Lodge High School College of Science, which will be among the first schools to benefit from the BSF programme.

Along with Westminster Special School and Whiteheath Education Centre, St Michael’s will be relocated to the new Rowley Learning Campus, while Holly Lodge will become Smethwick Learning Campus with Ruskin House Pupil Referral Unit.

The visit will end with presentations from the consortia bidding for the Sandwell BSF contract, exploring their proposals for all secondary schools across the borough and how they will contribute to community regeneration and cohesion as well as raising educational standards.