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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    Prefabrication has not always lived up to expectations, particularly where part of the building has been in traditional construction and where the prefabricated block has been completed but the school unused for several months. Certain patent forms of construction have been no more rapid than traditional and none is substantially cheaper. It is not yet known what the maintenance cost of these buildings will be but it may be expected that they will be relatively high. The suggestion that, since educational aims and methods change, school buildings become quickly out of date and should not therefore be too substantial is, in the opinion of this Authority, fallacious. It ignores the fact that buildings erected as temporary are frequently kept in service as long as permanent buildings and involve a much higher cost in maintenance. Temporary huts appear to offer the most expensive and least satisfactory of all kinds of educational building, being unsightly, uncomfortable and uneconomical. Many of them have added to the congestion of schools already on intolerably overcrowded sites and their cost has been little, if at all, less than permanent additions. The Authority has, for the last two or three years, avoided, wherever possible, the use of bees pps huts and where it is unavoidable uses wooden huts of the cheapest available ind. (b) The schools completed under the Building Regulations, 1945, were expensive and their plans are much too diffuse for satisfactory working. The revised Building Regulations, while approaching close to the minimum standard in classroom, cloakroom and sanitary space, and while restoring dual use of certain parts of the building, have included economies which are not unreasonable and have been accompanied by a much tidier and more workable form of school plan. The Ministry’s architects have been of great assistance in developing such plans. The cost per place figure fixed by the Ministry for new schools is the obvious way of controlling expense. If, however, the cost is fixed too low there is a danger that authorities will incur higher maintenance charges through reduced capital cost. For example, certain new schools in Manchester have been built with gas heating units which avoid the need for expensive excavated heating chambers. In practice, however, it has been found that the cost of heating schools by gas is exceedingly high. Again, it is felt that the maintenance cost of schools built by some local authorities in light standardised construction will prove to be high. APPENDIX A Teer: 1NO.429 REPORT OF THE CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER TO THE BUILDINGS SUB-COMMITTEE 10th June, 1952 Aided and Controlled School Repairs 1. The Sub-Committee at its meeting on 5th February, 1952, considered representations. made by the parents of children attending St. Willibrord’s Roman Catholic School about the unsatisfactory condition of the schoo] playground and asked for a report on this and similar cases with a view to adopting a Priority Order for such work in 1952-53. 2. As stated in another report to the Sub-Committee about school playgrounds, the repair of the playground at St. Willibrord’s Roman Catholic School will need to be considered in relation to the monies available for work at Aided and Controlled Schools in 1952-53. 3. The number of Aided and Controlled Schools is steadily increasing and the Com- mittee’s responsibilities are increasing in proportion. Many of the schools are in urgent need of essential repairs and as a sum of £6,000 only is available in the Revenue Estimates for this work, the Committee in September last agreed to include the sum of £26,000 in the Capital Account to expedite progress. 4. At the present time there are 38 Aided and 20 Controlled Schools and detailed reports on the condition of premises have been received from the City Architect. A schedule is attached showing a suggested priority order for dealing with the outstand- ing repairs based on the City Architect’s view of the relative degree of urgency, and a list of the remaining Aided and Controlled Schools, some of which will need exten- Sive repairs.