Practice Note

EFM was formed in April 1990 and since 1992 has provided guidance to schools on their dealings with Local Education Authorities and Central Government. This has included all of the areas impacting on school place provision.

Since 1996 EFM has worked for an increasing number of house-builders and their advisers. This in recognition of EFM‘s proven skills in negotiations with Education Authorities, the subsequent agreement of reasonable Section 106 planning obligations with Local Planning Authorities and the preparation and presentation of evidence to Inquiries.

EFM is school places planner to Leicester City Council, Land Securities, SQL, Kier Homes, St George Plc, New Hall Projects, Sir Robert McAlpine, Taylor Woodrow, Persimmon, Martin Grant Homes, Bovis, Barratt, Westbury, Wates, Allison Homes, Countryside, Dept of Health, Bryant Homes, David Wilson Homes, Berkeley Homes, Kings Oak, St John Homes, Chartdale, JJ Gallagher, Heron Land, Quintain, Fairclough, O&H Properties and others.

EFM works with Planning Consultants. Introductions to developers are facilitated through professional relationships with Robert Doughty, Broadway Malyan Planning, Robert Turley Associates, Barton Wilmore Planning, Andrew Martin Associates, Fenn Wright, Evison, RPS, Montagu Evans and others.

For small and medium size developments, the strategy centres on building a positive and constructive relationship with LEA strategists. They are under equal pressure to secure sufficient school places and avoid creating surplus places.

For large developments, EFM has developed methodologies with demographers for generating population models that can forecast demand for school places arising from development. These can be sensitive to time, migration rates, housing trends and other impacting effects to show how these vary over time. EFM has close working relationships with experienced specialist professionals and can recommend their engagement when practical solutions, for example, how a school might be effectively remodelled for expansion if required.

EFM’s School Place Planning team comprises company principal and managing director Steve Clyne, specialist demographer Tam Fowler and former Hertfordshire Planning Obligations Manager Jan Kinsman (who also has expertise in other areas of planning obligation work). EFM has an association with a number of freelance associates that it shares its methodologies and resources with, and who in return provide additional capacity when required.

EFM’s work with schools, colleges, PFI establishments and other properties is under the direction of Sarah Wood. Steve Clyne is education consultant to PKF in respect of the HM Government ‘Building Schools for the Future’ (BSF) programme.