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Governors meet the project management team

Sat 31 Jan 2015

In late 2013 and early 2014 the school governors met with the Somerset County Council project officer Carol Bond( in picture) and the Futures for Somerset project manager Hadleigh Wells( in picture) to start planning the new school building project in detail. During this period the governors also formed a committee and delegated them powers to make the week by week decisions, with Somerset County Council, about the building and internal fitting of the new school. This committee is Sue English,( in picture) Mark Andrews, Rachel Scully and Simon Patton. The committee report into the full board of governors at each meeting.

Link to Futures for Somerset website : http://www.futuresforsomerset.co.uk/

Governors move into intensive period of meetings and workshop sessions reviewing all aspects of the new school.

Sat 31 Jan 2015

Over the period January 2014 through to December 2014, including during the midst of the summer holidays, a range of workshops and briefing meetings were held with the project management team, the NVB architects and the building firm BAM. These meetings started with a review of the feasibility study that looked in detail at the options for the school site and confirmed that the best site was the proposed one off the West Camel Road opposite the Medical Centre. Workshops then looked in detail at the layout of the site, the internal design of the school and with a company call Portsdown the furniture and fittings. The committee learnt a lot from what a plenum is to the best way to fit teaching walls.
During this period both the school and Somerset County council held discussions with the Parish Council, Neighbourhood Front Runner development group, District and County Councillors Mike Lewis, representatives of St Barnabas’ Church ,the Queen Camel Medical Centre and community members. As a result of these discussions concerns were shared particularly about the traffic management on the West Camel Road and parking on the school site, which resulted in changes to the design of the school site. The school governors with Somerset County Council also looked at the site around how best to lay it out for community use.
To see Portsdown website http://www.portsdown.co.uk/
To see BAM website: http://www.bam.co.uk/

To see NVB Architects website:http://www.nvbarchitects.co.uk/
Plenham: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-mixing_plenum

New School Open consultation meeting Thursday 9th October 2014

Sat 31 Jan 2015

Over 250 people joined representatives from the school Governors, project management team, architects and builders to look at the detailed plans for the new school. This was a fantastic turn out with many also taking the time to fill out a feedback form, the summary of which is linked below.
Feedback on the consultation meeting copy
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Planning permission submitted

Sat 31 Jan 2015

The formal planning application was made on the 3 November 2014. To see all the documents, maps and views expressed for and against the plans visit the Somerset County Council planning website link below:
http://webapp1.somerset.gov.uk/ePlanning/loadFullDetails.do?aplId=36242

Letter from Governors to the planners December 2014

It was pleasing to note that there was wide spread support for the new school with the main objections related to there being sufficient provision of onsite parking and possible traffic congestion on the roads surrounding the school. One suggestion to improve the parking was use of a grasscrete surface like the picture below:

The reasons for the new school

Mon 26 Jan 2015

In this section you can look up the main reasons why a new school is needed:

Queen Camel school back in action Western Gazette January 23 2009
http://www.westerngazette.co.uk/Queen-Camel-school-action/story-11768668-detail/story.html

Flash floods give pupils in Somerset villages an early Christmas December 15 2008
http://www.westerngazette.co.uk/Flash-floods-pupils-Somerset-villages-early-Christmas/story-11234507-detail/story.html

Countess Gytha County Primary School (Original Building Only) with South Boundary Wall and Railings, Queen Camel is a grade 2 listed building
http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-431109-countess-gwytha-county-primary-school-or

Countess Gytha County Primary School Grid reference ST5925
Countess Gytha wife of Earl Godwin and whose grandson was Harold II who became King in 1066 and was defeated and slain at the Battle of Hastings.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2606844

Campaign for a new school

Mon 26 Jan 2015

Call for Countess Gytha Primary School to be rebuilt BBC 10 February 2010
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/somerset/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8505000/8505957.stm

Flood-prone school to be re-sited BBC 23 April 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8014006.stm

Money for the new school confirmed

Mon 26 Jan 2015

Flood-prone Somerset school to be rebuilt BBC 5 April 2011
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-12956778
New school planned for Queen Camel The Argus Tuesday 5th April 2011
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/8955572.print/

The plans and location of the new school considered

Mon 26 Jan 2015

During 2012 and 2013 at a range of Queen Camel Village consultation meetings draft plans of new school and its possible location were shared and discussed . At the January 2013 Parish Council meeting a report of the latest position was given by the project officer from Somerset County Council which outlined that the site for the new school was likely to be the field opposite the medical centre.
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Close shave January 2014 confirms need for new school

Mon 26 Jan 2015

During the worst flooding in Somerset for many years in fading light of an early January 2014 Saturday the brook next to the River Cam burst it banks and school came within a whisker of another major flood with water lapping at the doors of the old school building Girls and Boys entrances.
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Location of the new school fixed

Mon 26 Jan 2015

Following a detailed feasibility study and full discussion of the options the decision was made by Somerset County Council and the Countess Gytha Governing Body to go for the land on the West Camel Road.
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