School issues - difficult one -

[Ahmawa]

So my eldest is at a new academy - the school was expected to be built last Sept but is in a portable classroom.

My DS starts in Sept and we put down our no1 choice as the School where my eldest attends as we were told definitely the School will be built by the end of the year.

Now they have not even started preparing the build as the council is fighting a legal issue.

The current site can just about manage one portable classroom and dinner room - there really is no space for extra classrooms or play area and the access road is one lane. It's going to be a nightmare if there is another class or two to be added as I cannot see what they can do. The Head has just mumbled some platitudes as this is all out of her hands and in the hands of the court.

So my point is - how much does a kid miss out not having an actual school building and other facilities - like a school library, school hall, music room etc.

Quite a lot. A portakabin is not an enriched educational environment and will lack most facilities.

I think that it is not necessarily what they have not got on site, it is very much about how do they compensate for the lack of amenities by thinking on their feet to give their pupils a good education.
The headteachers comments do not inspire confidence. What I would want to be hearing from them is how they are going to handle music, sports /PE and alternatives to having their own library.

I agree with admission.

Is your older ds in the only year group currently at the school? Are you happy for your ds to continue to be taught in a portakabin with no school for at least another year? I have to say that I don't think I would be. I would be considering moving your older ds, and sending him to a different school, with your younger ds.

I assume it's part of a MAT? One classroom may be fine but what do they do for all extra curricular?

I did all of my infant years in terrapin classrooms (and a shiny new school was built just after i left!) It was fine tbh, there was a separate library and it didnt feel very different going into juniors which was an actual school building.