Brading CE Primary School
Brading Church of England Primary School built in 1910 and added to in piecemeal fashion since, including two semi-permanent mobile buildings in the playground and one very old temporary building has long been at the heart of Brading’s community. So much so that when threatened with closure under the Isle of Wight’s move away from the three tier system, the community responded with a robust campaign and its future is now secure within a Federated framework with St Helens Primary school. Providing a creative approach to education for 74 children aged 4-9 it was earned an overall Grade 2 – Good school – mark from its latest Ousted inspection in September 2007. It secured Grade 1, Excellent rating for Personal Development and it did also for Care, Guidance and Support. Now the school is involved in two exciting developments for its pupils, staff, governors and their community. The first is the extension of its age group to a 4 – 11 Primary as it retains years 5 and 6; the second is the link-up with St Helens Primary in the Federation now known as The Yar Valley Schools. Brading Primary school has its own web site that can be reached by clicking the link below: www.bradingpri.uksol.net/news-letters-p12731.htm
The Yar Valley Schools
In 2009 the Isle of Wight Council carried out a fundamental review of its education provision: it moved from a Middle School system to one of Primary + Secondary and required all Primary schools to have a full one-form entry. Those that did not were threatened with closure unless entered into a Federation with other schools that between them met that requirement. Both Brading and nearby St Helens Primary schools were too small on their own: Brading had 74 pupils with 20 entering each year and St Helens 48 with 15 yearly intake. The solution has been the formation of a Federation of the two under the umbrella name of The Yar Valley Schools. For practical purposes, the schools will keep their own name, identities, budgets and head teachers. But from 2 November 2009, they will operate under a single new Governing Body with their Headteachers will rotate annually as Executive Headteacher. The new Governing Body will consist of 18 with each school providing 3 Parent governors, 2 Staff governors and 1 Community governor; St Helens having 2 Local Authority and 1 Foundation governor; and Brading having 3 Foundation governors. The Integrated Facilities Project
On this site, just off the Town Centre, Brading’s Community Team is committed to the exciting Integrated Facilities Project that would bring together on the site of the current school, its playing field and adjacent derelict land, a new Primary School built to Code 6 of the Sustainability Code, Brading Town Council’s Offices, the Beech Grove Doctors’ Surgery, Pre-School provision, Mother & Toddler Group, Brading Youth Club, Isle of Wight Council Services and Community Sports facilities. The original school was built in 1910 and has been added to in piecemeal fashion since then including two semi-permanent mobile buildings in the playground and one very old temporary building. The Brading Youth Club was built in 1823 as Brading’s first purpose-built school. It is in serious need of refurbishment, is not DDA compliant and, entirely lacking in architectural merit, detracts from the Brading Conservation area to which it is adjacent. The Brading Town Council Offices are located in a double mobile building, known as the Brading Centre, on IoW Council-owned land adjacent to the Primary School. It is well used by residents, offers broadband-connected computer access to the public and provides meeting spaces for local groups. The local Police Officer and PCSO as well as the Ward Councillor use it for surgeries. Yet the building is too small and is not DDA compliant: it needs a purpose-built replacement. The Beech Grove Doctors’ Surgery is next to the playing field that adjoins the school playing field. It is the only Health Centre in Brading with three doctors, several nurses and a large patient list that includes coverage of Lake. The present building, a converted house, lacks the necessary space to extend the secondary services, is difficult to maintain and is no longer fit for purpose. The Practice is keen to explore the possibility of relocating into the Integrated Facilities development. The Integrated Facilities project offers the potential to secure Brading’s future as a sustainable community entirely congruent with the IoW Council’s strategic objectives (see section 11 below), providing centrally a range of critical services for its present and future population. |
