Talbot Village Trust joined Poole Grammar School’s exciting build project in Spring 2021, supporting the school to equip a brand-new sports hall and enhance its sports, fitness and wellbeing offering for pupils and community groups across the local area.
“I joined in 2020, and when I arrived, one of my early memories was around 1,000 boys all playing football on the school field at break time!” says Headteacher Dr Amanda Smith.
“We’re an all-boys school and there’s a real physicality to our students, but it was a huge shame to see how our old School Hall really limited the range of activities we could offer. Built in 1966, the hall was genuinely derelict: there was water pouring through the ceiling, and asbestos in the roofing.”
Katie Hewitt, Business Manager, adds: “The school began developing plans for a new Sports Hall to support its ambitions in 2020, and with costs coming in at just under £5million, it’s been a huge undertaking. Around £4million of funding came via government, and we raised further funding ourselves.
“Two years ago, our Year 10 rugby team got to the national finals, and we still celebrate the inspiration and buzz within the school that this success created. Our young people work very hard, so being able to enjoy the release that sport can provide is incredibly important.”
Historically, the school has found itself unfairly pigeon-holed as academic-focused institution where Sport and Physical Education runs second to traditional disciplines like Science, Mathematics and English. But since the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been an increased awareness in schools for the wellbeing and holistic benefits that come with a positive health and fitness focus.
Dr Smith says: “I think Grammar schools are often perhaps misjudged as just ‘more academic schools’ but we’re trying to counteract that – we teach sport, art, music, fitness, theatre… supporting a whole gamut of learning.
“COVID was enormous and changed all schools beyond recognition – I’d never worked anywhere in my career before where young people stayed in one classroom and just didn’t move. They could go out to breaktime, and then back. I don’t think we saw this hugely affect academic work, but it really affected social skills and behaviour and it normalised inactivity.
“We’ve tried to counter that by using our new Sports Hall as a positive launchpad. It’s great that young people get to walk into a gym setting at school, where it could otherwise be quite daunting. Young people can be introduced to understanding health and fitness and learn how to use equipment in a safe setting through things like our Gym Club.
“We lease the facility to people across the community in weekday evenings and weekends, and our Hall is home to the only professional Futsal court in Dorset, so all regional Futsal games are now played here, which is amazing!”
The school’s ambition to become a centre of excellence for Futsal pairs strongly with its aspiration to explore collaborations across the community, and the opportunities that partnerships can offer; like the relationship it shares with Poole Town Cricket Club, who use the Hall and in return for equipment to field the school’s cricketing ambitions.
Dr Smith says: “What’s so important to us is our position as a local school that people feel is part of their community. That’s sometimes difficult because we aren’t part of one area; we’re on a popular passing route between places, and 60% of our students travel to us on buses, but through this new energy, we’re making our name as a forward-thinking, healthy, active, and vibrant school.”
Not long after the new facility gained approval, a materials shortage and unexpected problems during the demolition of the former site saw costs rise, but the school were keen to press on, delicately balancing cost savings and projected income with the benefits that a high-quality new building would provide for students and the local community.
Katie explains: “We re-engineered the project so that we could make savings and continue the build – from removing windows in less essential areas, to putting a hold on purchasing specialist equipment.
“With the support and funding of Talbot Village Trust, we were able keep key features that meant the facility could be used straight away. Soon after, we hosted events in the facility, with our Christmas Fair and other community events bringing in lots of visitors and helping to generate funds and open our doors to the community.”
“We didn’t compromise on our environmental goals and accessibility needs, as the building uses air-source heat pumps and solar panels to help us be more environmentally friendly, and we have a lift system that helps to provide accessibility for all our students, staff, and visitors.
“The projection and sound system here is fantastic too, so the hall has additional functionality for events, assemblies and exams, as well as hosting activities and sports clubs like Basketball, Netball, Futsal and Badminton.”
Speaking about the School’s wider aspirations, Dr Smith adds: “Among our priorities is an aim to grow our sixth form, both in terms of numbers and range of teaching. A-levels are incredibly important, but so are values of leadership, community, society, along with creative arts and developing fitness.
“At the core of what we do, we believe we’re here to serve young people, including those that are the most disadvantaged. We are driven to provide a state-of-the-art school and the best quality education to be able to offer students opportunity to go on to the best destinations, be that apprenticeships, university or employment.”
Read more at: www.poolegrammarschool.com.
“What’s so important is our position as a local school that people feel is part of their community. Through this new energy, we’re making our name as a forward-thinking, healthy, active, and vibrant school.”
— Dr Amanda Smith, Headteacher at Poole Grammar
