Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Education Item 7

22 January 2004

Hiltingbury Infant School, Chandlers Ford

Report by the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services

How the conclusion in this report fits with the Corporate Strategy

This scheme will impact on the delivery of all Corporate Aims, focusing most immediately on:

Aim 1 - maximising life opportunities: the proposal to provide additional permanent teaching accommodation will have an immediate benefit for the school.

Aim 5 - improving services: all users of the proposed new facilities will benefit from these proposals.

1

Summary

1.1

Hiltingbury Infant School shares a site with Hiltingbury Junior School. Both schools were constructed during 1967 and are of a SCOLA design. A classroom extension was completed at the Infant School in 1996, followed by a new library in 2002. The school currently has one double temporary unit on site which accommodates two classrooms.

1.2

An allocation of £329,000, excluding fees, has been made in the Education Committee's 2003/04 Capital Programme NDS Modernisation fund for the construction of permanent teaching accommodation and the removal of temporary buildings.

1.3

Further funding has been made available from the Policy and Resources Committee's 2003/04 NDS Condition fund for the re-cladding of the existing main SCOLA building. It is proposed to combine the Education and Policy and Resources funding to create one major project, thus achieving economies of scale whilst minimising disruption to the school. The school is making a contribution of £20,000.

1.4

The Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services has progressed the design of the proposed additional accommodation and the purpose of this report is to outline the design proposals and seek approval to the attached design project appraisal, at an estimated cost of £729,000, excluding fees.

2.

Scope of the Works

2.1

The work will comprise the construction of a single-storey extension to the eastern elevation of the existing school building. The extension will adjoin the assembly hall and an existing classroom and level access will be maintained throughout the new and existing accommodation.

2.2

The extension will provide two general teaching classrooms, a music/drama room, a shared/practical area, an assisted wc and corridor/circulation space. An acoustic sliding, folding screen will be installed between the assembly hall and the new music/drama room to enable the two areas to be opened up into one large space. Externally, a steel framed canopy will be erected to the southern elevation of the two new classrooms.

2.3

The school currently has one double temporary classroom on site. Upon completion of the contract the temporary unit will be removed from site and the area reinstated. A small area of playground will be re-provided to compensate for that lost to the new extension.

3.

Funding and Timing

3.1

An allocation of £329,000, excluding fees has been made from the Education Committee's 2003/04 NDS Modernisation fund for the new extension and removal of temporary classrooms. This will be combined with £380,000, excluding fees, from the Policy and Resources Committee's 2003/04 NDS Condition fund for the external re-cladding of the existing main school building and a school contribution of £20,000. This provides a total of £729,000, excluding fees, for the complete scheme.

3.2

Subject to the necessary approvals it is anticipated that tenders will be invited during January 2004 and work will commence on site during April 2004, with the new accommodation being completed during October 2004 followed by the re-cladding of the existing building in November 2004.

Recommendation

That the Executive Member for Education advises the Executive Member for Policy and Resources that the design project appraisal be approved.