JARVIS, the engineering contractor at the centre of the police investigation into the Potters Bar rail disaster, in which seven people were killed, has been awarded a

£1.9 million government contract to help to rescue failing secondary schools.

The firm, better known for its lucrative maintenance contracts with Railtrack, has won a three-year deal to advise the 700 worst-performing schools in England and Wales.

Jarvis Educational Services Ltd, which is 88 per cent owned by Jarvis plc, was set up in November. It was awarded the schools contract in January, although the decision was not made public. Its move into education consultancy comes after dozens of previous contracts to build and repair school buildings under the Private Finance Initiative. The company has not ruled out bidding for the £100 million contract to run schools in Southwark after an engineering rival, WS Atkins, withdrew its bid.

Teachers’ unions and head teachers leaders condemned the decision to give such a sensitive advisory role to a company with no experience of handling such a consultancy.

Eamonn O’Kane, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers, told The Guardian: “I hope they don’t bring the same success to this enterprise as they have brought to Railtrack. I find it quite remarkable.

“The teachers and head teachers in our schools fully understand what needs to be done. They’re not fools. They don’t need the advice of a load of ex-builders.”

David Hart, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, described the move as “extraordinary”. “The idea that these schools need a company like Jarvis to help them to improve their performance is, I think, something of a joke.”

The Department for Education and Skills confirmed last night that Jarvis would help to implement a programme that encourages councils to turn to outside experts for advice on turning round failing schools.

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