Schools : eighth report from the Select Committee on Estimates together with the Minutes of Evidence taken before Sub-Committee E and Appendices, Session 1952-1953.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Estimates.
Date:
1953
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Schools : eighth report from the Select Committee on Estimates together with the Minutes of Evidence taken before Sub-Committee E and Appendices, Session 1952-1953. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    use is spreading since they meet adequately the needs of certain authorities, especially for primary schools. What is also implied by prefabrication is the use in a school of a high proportion of prefabricated components. 38. The experience seems to be that while prefabricated methods of construction reduce the time taken to build a school, and thereby effect a saving in wages and overheads, the components are often more expensive than traditional ones. The evidence tends to show that the costs of traditional and prefabricated methods are roughly the same, although Your Committee think that prefabrication of school com- ponents has not reached a satisfactory degree of standardisation anc that production has not, hitherto, been big enough to reflect a reduction in prices. Your Committee hope that the stage is now being reached where these two aims will] be realised and so contribute to a reduction in the cost of the secondary schools which will soon begin to take first place in the building programme. 39. The use of prefabricated methods of construction varies amongst local authorities according to the labour available and the supply of materials locally. In those parts of the country where building labour and traditional building materials are plentiful, the only advantage to be derived from using prefabricated parts would be saving of time. One such region is evidently the North Riding of Yorkshire, and Your Committee have no doubt that the same position exists elsewhere. Where, however, labour and traditional materials are scarce increasing use will have to be made of prefabrication; Your Committee are satisfied that those authorities who, by force of circumstances, have had to experiment with those methods over a longer period than others are pleased with the result and are stimulating the manufacturers to improve their products and to lower their prices. Your Committee are not Satisfied, however, that all authorities who could benefit from the use of prefabricated methods and thereby accelerate their school building programmes are in fact doing so. They recommend that the Ministry of Education should urge local authorities, who do not expect to fulfil all their school building needs by the use of traditional methods, to study in detail the experience of authorities like Hertfordshire. Coventry and others and to adopt the prefrabricated methods most suitable to their own regions. 40. One unknown factor relating to prefabrication is that of main- tenance costs; there was a general fear that these would be high although all witnesses were agreed that it was still too soon to form considered opinions and that longer experience would be needed before any conclusions which might be of benefit could be formed. Your Committee realise that maintenance costs must always play an integral part in deciding methods of construction. Where a choice of con- structional methods exists the long term charges are a vital part of the initial decision. It is false economy to erect a school at a low price if the initial saving will be more than offset by running costs. Your Committee recommend that the Ministry of Education should ask all local authorities to report upon the maintenance of prefabricated schools after a reasonable period, perhaps in 1958. This would be a valuable guide to the future planning of the school building programme. Qs. 453, 653-6, 661, 707, 825, 903, 1015, 1432-4, 1492, 1754-6, 2007-17. Qs. 1531, 2021-2. Q. 455. Qs. 464-7, 474, 480-4, 657, 684, 812, 829, 903, 983, Q. 166.