The Friary School have completed a major refurbishment of their sports hall, dance studio and changing rooms as part of upgrading school facilities and supporting community sports.
Over the last year the sports hall has received a new roof, new heating, new flooring and been fully decorated to fit in with Sports England guidelines. Elsewhere, the dance studio has been updated, changing rooms have been extended, and a long-term damp problem caused by historic design problems has been resolved.
The facility is primarily used for its core, original purpose of classes and exams for the school’s students, but it is also provided to support other local schools, it is a venue for children’s holiday clubs, and it is also busy with community bookings in the evenings and weekends, with all ages taking part in sports as diverse as martial arts, rugby, and badminton.
Jacqui Archer, School Finance Lead, said: “We are delighted with how this £400,000 upgrade will benefit both our students and the local community and we know it will be very well-received in the new term.”
Matt Allman, Headteacher, added: “Historically, both the school and community endured a faded facility with students taking exams surrounded by buckets to catch roof leaks, a pervading smell of damp, inadequate heating, a slippy and ill-repaired floor, and a drab décor. At times it was difficult to envisage any way forward, but since academising we have successfully secured around £3 million in previously unavailable external funding and have also ploughed back lettings income into improving the facility for both our students and our community. There is still work to do, but even in these tough economic times there has to be a drive and urgency to make things happen, and we are delighted that this long-term vision has been realized.”
