Mumsnet Talk

Where would they play? Do PE?

Planning changes could see free schools in shops and offices

near me there is a private school in a warehouse type building, which uses the internal garage area (so covered but concrete floor and playground type) and the out door what would have been loading bays and stuff as a playground. They also regularly take kids to park

There are also many private schools in semidetatched houses, which use the gardens as a play area, and again use park for sports etc.

I am guessing pubs at least normally would have car park/ outside space?

Also the two nearest primary schools including my dds have playground on the roof, so this is also an option.

Could they fit in a library and ICT suite? hall/kitchen for assemblies and lunch? Cloakrooms, lockers, admin and staff rooms, staff car parks, storage, bike sheds and first aid, music/art room? Plus 15 classrooms and extra quiet areas for reading? That would just be for a small (two form) primary school. You'd need science labs and ICT/design technology/drama studio spaces for secondary.

If not, then no.

No.

small rural school in a former pub? why not. I should think you could get 3 classrooms and a small hall in to our village pub, the next nearest school only has 3 classes and 45 kids on roll, so they would fit nicely.

I probably would, as long as I had the chance to look around and see whether it felt like a safe and stimulating environment.

But with my town planner's hat on, I think this is a completely terrible idea. Schools are pretty un-neighbourly uses, causing lots of traffic problems and drop off and pick up time, plus noise from outdoor activities. These are the sorts of things that planners have the expertise in assessing and the planning system gives neighbours the chance to have their say. The Govt seems to have completely lost sight of the fact that the planning system exists for a reason. I have severe doubts that the sorts of checks they will put in place will be anywhere near adequate.

The government's concern is that some LAs are using the planning system to stop free schools opening in their area even when there is a clear need for additional places. I am not saying this is the right solution but that is the perceived problem they are trying to solve.

There is plenty of evidence that the quality of teaching is more important than the surroundings. So I wouldn't automatically rule it out. I would take a look at the school before deciding.

There is afree school around here that has opened before its new site is ready. It is operating from a temporary base and residens are really unhappy with the additional traffic and parking problems that go with a school. That is with only a few yr groups there.

There is also a road near me with a couple of private schools in big houses. I have no idea what facilities they really have except one has a pool somewhere on site (basement?) as it is advertised as the venue for saturday swimming lessons with a private company.

I think I would prefer it to portacabins all over the playgrounds of existing schools, that helps nobody.

I do understand the government's concern and I can't deny that there are occasions when local councillors will make bad planning decisions for ideological reasons.

Generally, dodgy politically-motivated decisions get overturned on appeal. Appeals are heard by inspectors who are not politicians and have no links to the local area.

All this takes time, of course, and this proposal will certainly speed things up. But it will be at the expense of people who live/work near a building that suddenly turns into a school with 100 4x4s piling into the local streets twice a day.

If the premises had been properly converted, what does it matter who the previous occupants were?

My father has been called in to assist a school whose current premises are exactly this as the PFI programme has fallen behind. It makes practical subjects either hard or impossible and there are issues regarding keeping the premises safe. It's okay as a temporary stop-gap.

I think that premises do need to be vetted as suitable, but prehaps the LEA is the wrong organisation to vet premises. Children need outside space for fresh air and to be safe.

Day nurseries often open in fairly questionable places. I have no issues with a former pub being used for a school. I am sure that a former pub could easily be converted and a pub garden would make a reasonable playground.