PGHS Press Gang

As the new school has started to be built, there are many unanswered questions you may want to know the answer to. We interviewed Mrs Hall and Miss Barnes last week to find the answers to many popular questions that you may be asking.

1. First of all, what led you to decide that the school is unfit for future use?

 Mrs Hall said “Well, it has been around since the 1950s” and explained that if you look around the school you can see that it is a bit disintegrated; paint is peeling in some places, there are rusty beams and water has seeped through some areas.  Also, some of the rooms are too small and made of materials which wasn’t made for longevity and for the number of students it now holds. Miss Barnes also said that it was the Department of Education’s decision that we needed a new school not the school’s decision.

2. How do you think the new building is going to impact the pupils and teachers?

Mrs Hall and Miss Barnes believe that the reactions of pupils will be a mix of excitement and anticipation for the opportunities that come with the new environment of a new school build. They told us that at first it will be quite tricky to adapt to the new build, with it having 3 floors.

3. Are you going to use most of the things in this school for the new build? What might you get new?

Miss Barnes explained that new things like furniture is not provided alongside the new build; we are given the shell of the school and we have to fill it. They said that the really worn-out furniture will be replaced. Students will be asked to help with the design and give their input. Mrs Hall said that she wants to make sure that we take the school spirit and values with us too.

4. Many students are concerned about the lack of lockers. What impact do you think this will have on the school?

 We have noticed that many students are worried about the lack of lockers and here is some more information to reassure you. First, for those who need lockers, there will be a small amount of them available. The reason there won’t be many is because in classrooms there will be more designated storage space for bags and folders etc. to make it easier on students. This will help us to get into “new habits” as a school.  Less lockers will also help to prevent the locker hazards as Mrs Hall says, “It gets really busy and congested”.

5. As it will be a three-floor building, do you think pupils need extra time to get to lessons? Most of the classes will be on the 2nd and 3rd floor, so hopefully it won’t take much longer but we will test and adjust it as we adapt to the new building.

6. If the classrooms are bigger than they are now, are the number of pupils in each lesson going to increase?

“No, we will stick to 32 pupils max,” said Mrs Hall. She explained that more than this will too much demand on both students and teachers.

7. What is your favourite part of the new school?

Of course, the most important part of the school are the students and the teachers, but we asked what their favourite material features are. “That’s a hard question,” Mrs Hall said and described that the sports hall will be great for students as we don’t have one currently and will be able to be used for many sports. Mrs Hall told us about the garden space and herb kitchen garden, but she has to keep some things secret! Miss Barnes said that she likes the library as there is I.T equipment in there and a big window with a lovely view.  Miss Barnes also likes the dining area and main hall (as they fought hard to have it for the social space). The more spacious garden and social spaces are going to be very good too.

8. With the increasing need to help the environment, in what ways will the new school be environmentally friendly?

Will it include green technology? “A very good question!” Mrs Hall said.  They told us about the plan for the school to be carbon net zero with solar panels (on the roof and an additional canopy on the new quad), heat pumps and more plants/gardens. It will be more financially efficient and will use less greenhouse gases and space. She also mentioned that at some point, students will be allowed to go to the construction site to look and interview the workers.

9. Where are we going to do PE lessons needing the field (e.g. track, rounders or throwing events) whilst the new building is being built?

We will have to adapt a bit, but we have a very large field and a hidden section around the corner so for the short term, we will be losing some space.

10.After the school is built, will the space on which this school is in become the new field?

 Yes, the space will become a new field, though this won’t be until the old school is knocked down.

11. Finally, many students want to know if they are going to get extra days off whilst teachers move to the new building?

At this time, they could not answer this for sure but strive to not disrupt our learning as much as possible.

12. Will there be any wheelchair friendly features?

They have looked at this thoroughly throughout the building. A couple of features will be lowering desks and lifts are featured on every floor.

13. Will there be a ‘Haven’ equivalent in the new school?

Yes, there will be areas to support students in the new school.

14. When is the completion date?

It will be completed in December 2026. This is subject to change of course, being only an estimate from builders, though they won’t actually knock down the old school until around July 2027. In the meantime, there are plans to upgrade room 50 this summer and maybe room 11.

15. It was noted that the quad looked small.

And in answer, it’s just because of the different shaping.  In actual fact, we will gain a little grass on the quad.

Thank you to Mrs Hall and Miss Barnes for answering our questions.

The Press Gang

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