When the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats first formed their coalition in 2010 they pledged to protect our schools’ playing fields and encourage competitive sport in all schools. And with the Olympics aiming to ‘inspire a generation,’ we’ve been left wondering how exactly they hope to achieve this by selling off our schools’ sports fields and facilities.
So, it’s no surprise that there has been outrage concerning the governments’ revealed approved sale of 31 school fields in the last 2 years. Especially since only the week before this figure was confirmed, it would appear that the government had tried to sweep 10 of the sales ‘under the carpet’ by only admitting to the sale of 21!
There are, of course, strict rules that must be satisfied before a sale can be approved. Each application must be assessed by the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel and the Education Secretary, Michael Gove. The sale can only be approved if the sporting needs of the school, and the surrounding schools, can still be met and the proceeds of the sale must be put back into the school, to improve the current sports facilities.
The government has managed to justify the 31 approved sales that have come to light, by proving that the fields were surplus to requirement, belonged to schools that had closed or amalgamated with other schools, and in some cases, the land had been sold, improved and leased back to the school.
If this is true, and the decisions were all made fairly and, it would seem for the benefit of the students and their wider school experience, then why is there so much contention?
Legal Requirements
Up until now, schools have been required to provide between 5,000m² and 54,000m², but with the law changing to simply require that schools have ‘suitable outdoor space’ it’s becoming easier to justify the sale of school land. And while schools are left to manage their dwindling budgets and provide the best they can for their students with limited funding, it’s no wonder that schools are looking to fund improvements in other ways. Especially since Labour’s Building Schools for the Future scheme was unceremoniously scrapped by in 2010, after more than 700 schools had already signed up.
One such school was Elliot School in Wandsworth – one of the 31 approved sales – who plan to use the proceeds from their sale to fund the renovations that should have been paid for under the Building Schools for the Future scheme. The school is in urgent need of improvement, as the 1950s building does not comply with teaching or safety requirements.
Another prime example of the debate is the recently approved sale of Newquay Tretherras Academy’s playing fields, which have been sold to Tesco for a new supermarket development. The money is being used to improve old school buildings, desperate for redevelopment, but local residents are protesting the sale. They believe the school shouldn’t have to raise funds this way, and that the development will be detrimental to the town.
It’s Been Going On For A While
It’s worth remembering at this point, that under the last Conservative government, between 1979 and 1997, it’s thought that 10,000 playing fields were sold off, although this figure is tentative as it would appear that no one really kept track! This, compared with the succeeding Labour government who only sold off 213 fields between 1999 and 2010, illustrates the Conservatives perhaps lax attitude towards school sports facilities.
Although, in most cases the sale of the land has been justified in relation to the general improvement of the school, it has caused outrage amongst the general public who believe that the government should be investing in our children, not forcing our schools to sell off their playing fields in order to pay for necessary improvements that should be funded by the government.
So, while the Olympic message to inspire a generation of young athletes is still fresh in our mind, why isn’t our government investing in the sporting futures of our children?
School Playing Fields of the Future
The team at Charles Lawrence / All Courts can provide much needed improvement for school sports fields, artifical sports surfaces and multi use game areas, including tennis courts – rejuvenating previously unused land to provide additional sports areas for students, restoring neglected areas and providing regular maintenance that will keep tracks, sporting pitches and courts suitable. We take great pride in providing sports areas that are designed to improve performance and enjoyment.
For further information on any of our sports court installation services, including design and maintenance, give us a call. Charles Lawrence Tennis Courts operate across the UK.
