Meeting documents
Cabinet
Wednesday, 12th July, 2006
Currently there are two halls that will be effected by the provision of new school buildings:
Junior department at Pulteney Road,
Currently used:
o By the school throughout the school day.
o By the school for a number of extra-curricular school clubs at the end of the school day (usually 3-4 evenings per week)
o A regular booking, one evening a week and at weekends by a youth music school
o On an occasional basis by other outside / community groups
o On an occasional basis for special school and PTA events (e.g. School plays, dances etc).
If the school is transferred to a single site this hall will no longer be available to either school or community (it is assumed that the owners of this site (a third party) will sell it for re-development)
Infant department at Oldfield Lane
This hall was built and is owned by the parish of Our Lady and St. Alphege and serves as both a school, parish hall and community hall.
Use of this hall is currently as follows:
o By the school throughout the school day.
o By a mother and toddler group associated with the school, one morning a week.
o By the parish, out of school hours for regular weekly parish activities.
o Bookings from a variety of community groups and individuals.
o Special parish events such as socials and dances.
As the current parish hall has to be demolished to provide the school playing field, and as the current hall belongs to the people of the Parish of Our Lady and St Alphege (neither the school, Diocese of Clifton nor Bath & North East Somerset) it is unreasonable for the school or the Council to expect the Parish to sacrifice their hall with no equivalent replacement of facilities.
Currently out of school hours the Parish have first call on the hall facilities and receive revenue from lettings to outside groups, which they would lose if there were only a school hall.
Whilst a new hall will be provided as part of the new school building, and whilst the school has agreed with the Parish that this can be made available to them out of school hours, the concentration of current school use on this one site, including the after hours extra-curricular use by the school will significantly conflict with some of the existing early evening Parish and community uses of the St Alphege hall.
The proposal is that a smaller Parish hall be provided; incorporating changing facilities for the new all weather sports pitches. The advantage of this arrangement is as follows:
1. Parish and community use of the hall and all weather sports pitches are available even during the school day.
2. Other schools will be able to use the all weather sports pitches and changing facilities during the school day.
3. The Parish will have a smaller more manageable facility for ordinary weekly Parish use, which it is understood they are prepared to accept provided:
4. The school hall can be made available out of school hours for the Parish and community for larger functions that need more space than the new Parish hall.
5. Provision of out of school hours care and activities can be expanded in line with current policy, without conflicting with either existing extra-curricular school activities or parish and community use.