schools

Schools should be used as a community resourse (out of hours) particulary the use of grounds in school holidays. They could also replace libraries and open in evenings to provide access for working people.

Why the contribution is important

makes schools inclusive and provides a local community base.

by user215871 on November 18, 2013 at 07:45PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 3.8
Based on: 10 votes

Comments

  • Posted by user463519 November 20, 2013 at 09:42

    I think GF has said that this is difficult with PFI financed schools, i.e. those with best facilities, due to nature of PFI contracts.

  • Posted by user465114 November 21, 2013 at 13:06

    Fantastic idea. School buildings/canteens/halls could be rented out for any kind of party or event, in much the same way as any village hall. The concept of the school and library being integrated is genius.
    School halls often have gymnasium equipment, could this be rented out/used as a community resource?
    All Classrooms could double up as conference rooms out of school term times - they have IT and necessary facilities.
    Many schools have a stage/theatre with lighting and sound. Any am-dram group could benefit (see also the idea of a Bristol Fringe)
    The ideas are almost endless as the school buildings and resources are so diverse and flexible.

  • Posted by user734334 November 24, 2013 at 11:55

    Absolutely! And money made can benefit the school and in this way reduce the cost for the council. Also if used in combo with some of the other brilliant ideas posted we're on to something that will make a big difference.

  • Posted by user536903 November 25, 2013 at 10:48

    During Fringe, I guess its during the university holidays, Edinburgh University open its hostels for the visitors.

    it's like any other hotel/hostel and tourists can pay money and stay at the university hostels.

    Bristol universities could do such thing during the holidays when the hostels are not in use.

    this will add additional revenue to the universities.

  • Posted by user825742 December 03, 2013 at 12:38

    Agree Completely. There are over 100 Primary schools around the city, in all our communities. If we all work together we should be able to make them into much better schools and great community centres at the same time with multiple benefits for all of us.
    I was about to put up the same idea but saw this already up. I'm still going to put it up because there is a lot more I would like to put into the headline idea and why it is important

  • Posted by user419622 December 08, 2013 at 10:45

    Yes, but, we have to make sure our schools aren't taking on too much work with this.

    1. Caretakers will need to work evenings, weekends, and/or holidays to ensure the school is open and perhaps stay onsite during the events.

    2. Health and safety assessments will need to be done after every external event to ensure the building has remained safe for the children. Extra work for caretakers / teachers.

    3. The people/organisations using the building will have to take out insurance in the case of damage to the building. The schools already have tight budgets, and cannot be expected to pay for damage. There would also have to be very quick timelines for getting money from the insurance to pay for the work. E.g. if the hall cannot be used by the children because of damage from an external event, it would affect the quality of their learning (not to mention meals) and would have to be repaired quickly. The school cannot be out of pocket for that work.

    4. What happens if children's work gets damaged (if classrooms are being used)? There might not be a pricetag associated with this in terms of insurance, but it would be very upsetting for the children. Also, if their workbooks get misplaced, their work would be lost and parents and teachers would also lose that record of their progress. Everything would have to be secured in the classrooms, which would be extra expense and hassle for the teachers.

    So, just saying that we need to make sure the benefits outweigh the costs on this one. In principle, I agree, but unfortunately, not everyone takes as much care with things as they should.
Log in or register to add comments and rate ideas