Community:
Old Hall Junior School
T
he last edition featured the threat to Manor School, whereas this month we feature Old Hall Junior School who have completed improvement works to create new classrooms and an impressive new frontage.
I was invited to the grand opening where Cllr Mike Longden officially cut the ribbon and declared the extension open for business. I wasn’t able to attend, so called in, unarranged, one sunny Friday afternoon and was warmly welcomed by Sharon Stone, the school’s head teacher.
seen any alterations since 1931, when two new classrooms were added and the south side of the hall was reconstructed to provide better light, ventilation, cloakrooms and toilets … amazingly this work was completed for £2,600. These classrooms were
positioned at the front, hiding the entrance giving the school its poor frontage ‐ but enabling them to accommodate 530 children, in what must have been very cramped classrooms. Today the school even with it’s extension only accommodates 250 children ‐ how times have changed!
area, a music room and increased the size of a present classroom. “The improvements to the school have given everyone a real lift. The building looks very impressive; the new entrance means there is now a waiting area for visitors and parents and makes the school very secure. Our new library provides a comfortable relaxing space for the children to enjoy their books, they can even sit outside on the secluded patio area and the refurbished classroom provides a much better learning environment for our children.” The project was completed during term time, and the success has been down to excellent teamwork across the partners involved, the school staff and pupils, Gino Lombardo, Mansell Construction and Derbyshire County Council.
Photo courtesy of Old Hall School
I’ve never been inside Old Hall, and with 100 years under its belt, the school and all its former pupils will So to the purpose of my visit ‐ the new The building process has even have seen many changes in Brampton extension. provided learning opportunities for and Chesterfield. the children, they’ve designed health Gino Lombardo, Building Designers, I previously worked in Manor Offices, designed the solution, which has and safety posters for the just past the school, and had often contractors, and learned about the exceeded Sharon’s expectations. thought how strange the building different jobs on site. They have created a new entrance and a much more impressive frontage looked as it didn’t seem to have a So, Sharon’s final comment “the front entrance. Sharon explained that with a glass ceiled reception area, result has provided a wonderful better office space, storage the building is Victorian and hasn’t accommodation, a new library, a patio learning environment for the children of Old Hall Junior School that we can all be proud of.”
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