I was asked, by Julia Sanchez to re-post this comment which was in a thread on a post below. It was made in a small, and civilized debate that myself and Chris Penfold were having. After seeing the video of a New Schools posted this morning, I think that my point about the style of New Build is even more salient. Is a soul less box of a school really the legacy that we want to leave to our future generations? Are we really prepared to effectively be saying: Here you are, its the cheapest New Build we could possibly find? Honestly, if wed been able to find cheaper, we would have, but this was the cheapest! My post in the thread: Chris Penfold, your points are, of course valid. I can understand why the governors and yourself can reach a conclusion that a new build is an opportunity that is too good to miss. But there are other people making opposite arguments that are also valid. The problem that many people have is that there hasn’t been a consultation about what other options are available. I and many others would like to have these consultations before any decision is made. The school has already had substantial investment in it in the past few years, which will go to waste if it is torn down. I don’t know if it is possible to find the funds to get the school fit for purpose, but given that the decision to go with PSBP was made before the last investment, it might be. It would be good if the EFA would agree to properly consider a refurbishment in the case of Chagford. It seems unlikely that they will, as the way they can make these new builds cheaply is through bulk buying, but I think that trying to get that option is worth while. I’m sure you’ve read Marion Stanburys last post, which, to my mind, makes very good points in this regard. I suspect that there are people who only want a refurbishment, others who would prefer it, and others might actually prefer a new school regardless. Sound arguments can be made for each of those positions. I think it is only right that the community should have a say in this decision. If it is possible to refurbish properly I would prefer it for the reasons that I have previously stated - I think that the architecture of the current school is preferable to a box-shaped kit build. This is partly as a resident of Chagford in terms of aesthetics. I say that unashamedly. Environment is important - both for the community, and I would argue for the pupils too. These things are a matter of opinion of course. I value beauty in my environment and in architecture - it’s one of the reasons that I live in Devon. I also value individuality as an important human trait. The idea of ‘box-like’ schools turning out students is not my idea of the best type of education - to me, and many others in this town - that is not the best environment for the type of education we believe in. That might sound a bit hippy, but it isn’t meant to be. I come from an arts and humanities background, and to me environment is an important consideration. It molds us, and Id prefer non-homogenized environments for our future generations. If it isn’t possible to find funds for a refurbishment, then the balance of the decision is different, and Peter Shields does, of course, make a compelling argument. I would still have some doubts though, as I think that cheap builds are going to have their own problems - they won’t be well built and I am worried that they will also start needing money spent on upkeep within a short period of time. This is often the case with cheap builds. You can see my posts about new build Arts Centers that I toured around in the early 2000’s. They were built with lottery money, cheaply, and within a year many of them were having problems - leaking roofs, fittings falling off walls etcetera. Cheap is cheap for a reason. It would be awful to build a new school, and find within five years that it was starting to need maintenance! So, I think that the main thing that I, and many others are calling for is a consultation before a decision is made. If the case for a new build is strong enough, then it will no doubt win the day, if however it is not, and there are other options, then it is only fair that other people’s wishes are taken into account.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 10:55:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015