Vote on new classroom block for North Somerset school
Pupils have been having classes in tents for the last two years
A new temporary school block could soon be built to replace the tents which children at Clevedon School have been taught in for almost two years.
Councillors on North Somerset Council’s planning committee will vote on Wednesday May 14 on whether to grant planning permission for a 24-classroom teaching block at Clevedon School.
It will mean that the children can finally be moved out of the two marquees where their classes have been located since HAC was discovered in the school building, meaning it is structurally unsafe.
Planning officers at the council are recommending that the plan be approved. The new block is not a permanent solution: it is a temporary two-storey block of classrooms which will be used for four years while a proper new school building is built. It has been welcomed by parents anxious to see their children out of the tents they have been taught in — but not everyone is happy.
Lodging a supporting comment on the planning application, one parent wrote:
“This is desperately needed so that children don’t have to be educated in tents anymore. They are freezing in the winter, sweltering in the summer and not sound proof so lessons are disrupted by noise from the next classroom!”
Another added: “Both my children say that the current tents are impacting negatively on their education due to the lack of soundproofing and temperature regulation. They can currently spend the entire day in the tents depending on their timetables.”
A total of four supporting comments were lodged on the application — but these have been vastly outnumbered by 82 objections. Despite getting children out of the current tents, the plans will mean the loss of the school’s long jump and running track.
One parent of children who compete in athletics said they were “gutted” at the plans. They wrote: “With this facility gone, where do our children — the next Olympic athletes — train?”
Another objecting comment said: “While I support the need for improved classrooms at Clevedon School, placing temporary buildings on the athletics track is a short-sighted and harmful decision. North Somerset Athletics Club (NSAC) has been a vital part of the community for decades, giving children of all backgrounds the opportunity to engage in sport, stay active, and compete at higher levels.
“Losing this facility would be a devastating blow, leaving young athletes without a viable alternative. For some, it could mean the end of their athletics journey entirely.”
North Somerset Athletics Club had objected to the plans, but withdrew its objection last month subject to the athletics facilities “being reinstated expeditiously” under a condition in the planning permission. Planning officers at the council are recommending that such a condition is added if planning permission is granted.
The plans have been funded and submitted by the Department for Education. A statement submitted with the planning application said: “Clevedon School is in urgent need of suitable temporary accommodation to replace the current learning village marquees, which are no longer fit for purpose. These marquees were installed in 2023 as an interim solution following the closure of the EFAC building due to the discovery of HAC.”
HAC (high alumina cement) is a different material to RAAC (reinforced autoclave aerated concrete) but there are similar concerns over its use in buildings.
The statement added: “The proposed temporary accommodation block is to be located on the existing site, adjacent to the current marquees. The proposal includes 24 classrooms, comprising general teaching spaces, staff areas, group rooms, and toilets. … The marquees currently in use do not meet the requirements for long-term teaching facilities. However, due to the needs of the curriculum and the pupils numbers, they must remain in operation until the new block is completed and ready for use.”
North Somerset Council’s planning committee will meet at 2.30pm on May 14 in the New Council Chamber in Weston-super-Mare Town Hall. The same meeting will also see the committee decide whether to grant planning permission for the council’s own plans for the Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare.