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• deliver 200 earners into the economy a year over 40 years at, say, £15,000 a year. That equals £120m (assuming all are on a relatively low wage and that the school delivers no added value …)

• employ 60 education professionals over 40 years at an employment cost of, say, £40,000 a year each. That equals £96m.

• cost in the order of £5m a year to maintain, repair, refurbish, heat and cool over 40 years. That equals £200m.

All of this equals a total of £416m (perhaps more – QSs, you tell me).

Why, then, the seven pages of concern about a capital cost of less than £18.75m – 4% of the total cost (25 April, page 90). Simple capital cost analyses don’t tell you the value equation.

Early design quality indicator and structured value management workshops (including time spent listening to and acting on pupil and teacher views) will tell you much more, than a simple capital cost analysis. Try it and see what a difference it makes to your client’s project (it’s theirs for 40 years, not yours for two).

Mike Thomas, integrated teamworking facilitator