Examination of Witnesses (Questions 9240
- 9259)
9240. We are concerned that over the time of
the construction the learning of the students who are at the school
could be affected by noise, dust and vibration and loss of play
space. Loss of play space is something we are particularly concerned
about, because, at the moment, as you will be aware, the DfES—quite
rightly, in my view—has a strong push on developing healthy
schools and the health of the children of our nation. Those of
you who visited Tower Hamlets yesterday will understand that there
is so little outdoor play space for young people in the borough—in
fact, I think we are below certain national regulations on that.
I go into a little more detail on this later on, but we are concerned,
if we have to give up part of our garden and part of our playground,
that that will go against the healthy schools agenda. We are concerned
about the effect of dust and also noise pollution having an effect
on the pupils and staff whilst the construction is taking place.
9241. I am also very concerned about harming
the future development of the school, which could make future
funding streams inaccessible. We have a very clear vision for
our school at the moment which we are linking in the Building
Schools for the Future Agenda. We want to make our school an extended
school. We want to develop our post-16 provision, in tune with
the 14-19 developments. We have plans for the expansion of the
school in terms of buildings but we understand that this may well
be put on hold in the light of the Crossrail plan. We have already
been unable to develop our playground, where we had plans to remove
the concrete and put on Astroturf. We have not been able to do
that in the light of Crossrail.
9242. We would be requesting an undertaking
that there is a strategic partnership between the school, the
London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the DfT and the DfES to minimise
the limitation on opportunities to put in place compensatory arrangements
as a result of the Crossrail plan.
9243. More specifically, going to the school
and specific effects, on slide 1 you can see the back of the school,
and to the right-hand side of this picture will be the throughway,
where Crossrail wants to take away our space and put a car park
and an area for their transport to come up and down into their
site at the back.[3]
I am concerned that this loss of play space will limit football
opportunities and play opportunities.
9244. Slide 2 shows behind the area we have
just seen.[4]
On the right-hand side, part of that area will be taken up by
the Crossrail plan and therefore will limit the size of our playground.
Although this has been mentioned at the beginning, we would wish
Crossrail to pursue the possibility of an entrance to their site
from behind the school, through Trahorn Close. The governing body
of the school would urge Crossrail investigate this option. The
local authority has indicated it supports the investigation in
order for all parties to be satisfied that the best option can
be achieved.
9245. Also, Crossrail has talked about an emergency
exit coming through the back of our playground. The governing
body has concerns about who would have access to this, how would
it operate, and how would it impact on the day-to-day running
of the school if we had a large number of people exiting through
it when the school is in operation.
9246. May I move on to noise and vibration,
and the next slide. We only have one area of the school where
we run public examinations and that is our sports hall.[5]
Those of you who visited yesterday saw this. We use this three
months out of the whole year for mock exams, SATs, GCSEs, because
it is the only area the school can put the whole school In December
May and June that sports hall is largely used for examination
purposes.[6]
Whilst we recognise Crossrail's offer to move children offsite,
our concerns would be the disruption of the children and the effect
that would have on the children of having to go somewhere else
to do their exams. The day-to-day management of that would incur
quite considerable cost and we would urge that we try to consider
options where the students can stay on site to do those examinations
in their best interests.
9247. In terms of the effect of noise on the
school, we recognise the undertaking to meet the standards specified
on The Acoustic Design of Schools. It would be a welcome
assurance if it were that the noise level was to be dB93—and
I am not an expert on these things, so do forgive me—and
that a lower noise level was taken rather than the dB93 level.
We would like confirmation on the level of noise.
9248. We would also be grateful if Crossrail
could confirm that they would meet the technical support cost
incurred by the school and the local authority in assessing the
proposals and we would also welcome confirmation that Crossrail
would support the running costs for any ventilation equipment
that may be installed as a result of construction mitigation.
9249. The undertaking that particularly noisy
activities would take place in holiday periods is most welcome
and accepted, but we would like to continue to look at taking
further measures during periods of examinations of which we consider
to not just be the GCSE exams but would include the mock exams
and other school examinations that have to take place in that
form.
9250. As I have already really said, off site
accommodation for exams we would find difficult to manage, but
if it has to take place we would want the cost of additional management
and supervision resources that may be incurred as a result of
that.
9251. I am also concerned about the effect of
vibration on the school whilst the railway is being constructed
and whilst Crossrail has asked for detailed construction information
for the school, the school and local authority has searched archive
material and have not been able to locate such information, so
Crossrail is requested, therefore, to bear the costs of detailed
investigations that would be required to formulate the proposals
for mitigation measures against noise and vibration from construction
and operation.
9252. If I could just move on to the next slide,
please.[7]
At the back of the school, just outside of those doors, is a veranda
area which will be taken away by the Crossrail proposals and we
are concerned because it is a sheltered place for our youngsters
when it is raining, we can go and stand under there, we line them
up there on various occasions before they come into school or
come into the sports hall, and so I am concerned that that is
going to disappear. I am also concerned about fire regulations,
because that is a major exit for the school under fire practices
or indeed if we did have a fire I would be wanting to be reassured
that fire regulations will be met by any plans that Crossrail
has to limit that area at the back of the school. That is the
veranda I was particularly speaking about, it would leave a gap
in our provision for the youngsters having a kind of outdoor sheltered
area for them to be in by that particular veranda going.
9253. The next slide.[8]
One of my biggest concerns is the garden that I think some of
you saw yesterday. We do not have much garden, but the intention
is for quite a lot of that garden to go and also if an exit is
going to go through the garden on to Durward Street, which I would
like to come back to in a minute, again that would reduce the
garden facility even more. It is an important area for the school,
it provides outdoor play, outdoor space. We have, just at the
end of the garden, an outdoor amphitheatre which is used for outdoor
plays and activities in the summer and is a very important part
for us of the school; that would disappear under the proposals.
[9]
9254. We have suggested two possible options
to Crossrail, one is to provide an indoor play space which would
not be quite as good, but which would go some way to accommodate
the numbers of students who use the garden at play time or lunch
time or to, as they have suggested, extend the garden facilities,
but I would say hopefully with an amphitheatre, clearly if the
garden was to be moved round to the back of the school, it would
incur more management issues than a garden that is just right
off the central part of the school, we would need to provide additional
management in that particular area.
9255. In terms of the next area which we are
concerned about is Durward Street, which I think you heard about
last night as well and I am aware some of you walked along yesterday.
In fact I think the slide makes it looks slightly wider than it
actually is.[10]
It is a very, very narrow street. It is a street where over a
third of our pupils come to school and leave school along that
street towards Vallance Road. It is also just a bit further behind
the red van is what is called our City Learning Centre which is
used by all schools across Tower Hamlets, not just Swanlea School,
so during the day we have a sizeable number of pupils coming to
use the City Learning Centre from all over the borough.
9256. We are clearly concerned about the safety
of our students in that street. We have been concerned to the
extent that in our travel plan we had already signalled up our
concerns for safety of lorry routes in the existing framework
along Durward Street and any future plans could hinder the safety
features which we are trying to implement within the street. Also
our fire regulations mean that on certain occasions over a third
of the school has to evacuate at short notice along Durward Street,
it is part of our fire regulations, and we are concerned about
the use of that street. If the street is going to be a one-way
thoroughfare I would be concerned that it very much could become
a rat-run for cars going along there and clearly I would be very
concerned about the safety of our youngsters on Durward Street
at all times and indeed the safety of other youngsters in schools
across the borough when they come to use the City Learning Centre
and whilst we appreciate the offer of Crossrail to not use the
street from 8.15, between the hours that it has signified, we
would be pushing for that to be extended to periods of time when
youngsters are coming to the City Learning Centre and we would
urge that safety issues should be of the highest paramount in
the way that that is then looked at in the future.
9257. Crossrail has also suggested that we also
have an exit into Durward Street for our students. I am very concerned
about that proposal at the moment because I worry that it would
put more pupils on to the street, but I am also worried that if
we did not go along that and took them out into Brady Street,
which is the other street, that street there, if we were to let
the students out on to that street, that also would lead to safety
issues for our students, not just in terms of traffic, but also
in terms of management of groups of youngsters which I explained
to Crossrail when they visited last week and therefore if we were
to exit on to Brady Street I would be seeking again further management
compensation on that because it would require further management
of the school at the end of the day more than we are actually
providing at the moment.[11]
9258. Finally, in terms of the last two issues,
in terms of cranes, the undertaking from Crossrail is noted and
accepted and in terms of the school premises' manager's accommodation,
we would accept the proposals, but we would just like to say if
there is to be a re-build we would like it to be re-built according
to the school's specifications and that is the end.
9259. I have brought some of my students who
are behind me just to give me some support this morning and to
have the experience of being here. That is all I want to say for
the moment.
3 Committee Ref: A108, Photograph of the rear of Swanlea
School (TOWNHLB-30305-006). Back
4
Committee Ref: A108, Photograph of the playground at Swanlea
School (TOWNHLB-30305-007). Back
5
Committee Ref: A108, Photograph of the sports hall at Swanlea
School (TOWNHLB-30305-008). Back
6
Committee Ref: A108, Photograph of the sports hall in use for
examination purposes at Swanlea School (TOWNHLB-30305-009). Back
7
Committee Ref: A108, Photograph of the veranda at Swanlea School
(TOWNHLB-30305-010). Back
8
Committee Ref: A108, Photograph of the garden at Swanlea School
(TOWNHLB-30305-011). Back
9
Committee Ref: A108, Further photograph of the garden at Swanlea
School (TOWNHLB-30305-014). Back
10
Committee Ref: A108, Photograph of Swanlea School from Durward
Street (TOWNHLB-30305-016). Back
11
Committee Ref: A108, Photograph of Swanlea School from Brady
Street (TOWNHLB-30305-017 and 018). Back
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