Your Schools - Putting schools at the heart of the community : Cumbria County Council

In the last YourCumbria we let you know that Cumbria is bidding for £80 million of funding through Building Schools for the Future (BSF).

BSF is a national government funded programme aimed at transforming learning and rebuilding or remodelling every secondary and special school. We are doing this as it will bring lasting benefits to Cumbria and its communities. There are so many things we aim to do in the county and BSF could help us deliver some of this.

What we’d like to do

The plan is to start in West Cumbria as this is the area of greatest need in terms of educational attainment.

It’s going to take time

The funding is going to be provided in several allocations. An initial phase of £80 million planned to start 2013/14 and be completed by 2015/16 for Mayfield, Millom, Netherhall, Southfield, Stainburn, Whitehaven School and the West Cumbria Learning Centre. A second phase of around £100 million two or three years later for remaining West Cumbria schools.

Wider public consultations will take place across West Cumbria in the near future. There are also plans for an event bringing together everyone who may have an input from both the public and private sector so we ensure the thinking is joined up when planning for the future. In other words if a new library, sports facility or fire station is planned – what about creating a community hub on the school site?

Making your voice heard

We’ve already started the process of asking you what you think – 29,000 leaflets went out via schools in West Cumbria before Christmas. Around 300 parents and carers responded and this has already provided much food for thought. Some of you will also have taken part in a series of parent/carer focus groups held in Millom, Wigton (including Silloth and Aspatria) and Workington. They were conducted by pollsters IPSOS Mori and looked at things like what really makes a school the heart of its community and how we can make better use of school premises for everyone in the local area. The information from this will help shape the more detailed consultations that will take place over the coming months.

What parents have said so far...

“Wouldn’t it be nice for the kids to have a quiet place in school – just to take time out.”

“Schools could work more as a team.”

“Involvement in the community seems to be few and far between as kids get a bit older, but the reception classes are heavily involved in the community and that’s a good thing.”

What do head teachers think?

Susie Shepherd, Headteacher for Solway School, Silloth said: “BSF could provide opportunities for learning for all members of the community, from preschool to adults, by creating learning environments which will give easy access to inspirational facilities.”

David Sibbit, Headteacher for Netherhall School, Maryport said: “How we learn, what we learn, and why we learn are all changing in the light of the growth in information and knowledge worldwide. That is why this opportunity is so important for all our communities.”

Ian Smith, Headteacher at Millom School said: “It’s about making a real difference for people of all ages – getting qualifications, jobs, and making a success of themselves.”