£350,000 classroom
 

according to the telegraph ... Accrington Academy has spent £350,000 on a carbon neutral classroom ...

Accrington eco classroom praised in California (From Lancashire Telegraph)

the kids who designed this have just been given a special award in california and they went out there to receive it and to give a speech to the architects ... which i say good on them and well done ..

The £350,000 classroom incorporates a wind turbine and photovoltaic cells for electricity, solar panels for hot water, a rainwater harvesting system for minimal water waste and a pond to attract wildlife, which can be observed in a ‘hide’.

It also has reclaimed timber beams and locally sourced chipboard flooring, walls insulated with straw bales and a grass roof.
Building on the classroom is due to begin shortly.

what will happen to the electricity generated in the summer when the school is on holiday ..

now surely a classroom shouldnt cost £350,000 to build .. could you imagine building a school .. how much would it cost .. with all the classrooms, labs, a couple of art rooms, a gym, etc.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

The cells generating the electricity will if the system is fitted correctly, be connected to the national grid and the Electricity company will buy any extra
Electricity they don't use themselves.

I was surprised when I read the cost of the classroom, but I suppose if it had been an art class, would probably have cost 3 times as much and would be full of little wanna be's pretending to generate electricity.:D

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State of the art, or a draughty old shed, as many of my own classrooms were, let's just hope the pupils will leave school being able to spell 'photovoltaic cells'.

:D

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It might well have a carbon free footprint, but how big was the carbon footprint building the dammed thing, probably take a 100 years before it pays for itself.

Retlaw.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

its not been built yet retlaw according to the telegraph ...

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Does seem a tad expensive, at least the kids are doing summat creative though,bet none of them are flashmobbing down broadway.;)

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The article seems a bit ambiguous, does it mean that the £350.000 has allready been spent and the materials are in transit, Architect and Surveyor fees paid, does it include the cost of labour to do the work ?
Not knocking the project, seems a worthwhile exercise as these kids are well on their way to being qualified 'Chartered Quantity Surveyors" with none of the fuss or expense of any extra further education :confused: :confused:

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

I sometimes wonder what planet the people who come up with these ideas are in orbit around. The figure of £350,000 has been tossed into the equation with gay abandon at a time of national stringency and we're supposed to applaud it?

Looks like another case for The Rishton Avenger.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Alison Watson

Company Website

In another very popular thread I mentioned that the emphasis should be put on Engineering & Sciences, I think this company goes a long way to making a start.

:)

(Perhaps she will expand and organise a 'Flash-Light Mob', where groups of Children spontaneously turn up in an organised manner, at a local Shopping Centre and Change all the street lighting for more Eco friendly bulbs? I'd turn up to watch that).
:D

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Oh no not the Rishton Avenger


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YC7zCGZBq3...GrimReaper.jpg

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

all i can say is...well done kids and well done Accrington Academy for encouraging them to work towards something as good as this, i think it's fantastic

how can any of you lot complain about something in Hyndburn that will be there for the kids in years to come, when your own 'leader' spends the towns money like he does?

i think its brilliant and it's a step into the future for the kids



and Ken, i think it's time you buttoned it, just because you won't benefit from anything through Accrington Academy (having no children) doesn't mean it's a bad thing, even i'm getting pee'd off with your rantings now

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Why is it? This has nothing to do with HBC or the Tories so why would you want to "have a go" at them?

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Oh come on Neil Ken is Ken:D

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Maybe they should have had some input on a local town centre refurbishment, they seem to have more ideas.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

You're right.

The pupils involved should be congratulated.

My comment was probably due to jealousy, as for the second year at school my classrooms were wooden sheds.

:D

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

The kids that will benefit from it, mine or otherwise, are the next generation, the ones who will be looking after the country when I'm long past it. My personal gain from the Academy is neither here nor there.

£350,000 is a huge amount of money. You'll forgive me for thinking that the cumulative benefits of carbon neutrality in building one room compared to wider possible educational possibilities with the same money are not well represented in the price. Rishton Methodist school is screaming for new equipment to replace some pretty shoddy tat and a fraction of that money could have improved an entire school.

Just the miser in me coming out again, I suppose.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Ken, it's called 'progress' yes by all means fight for what you believe in, but fight it in the right way, it all seems to be tit for tat at the moment 'they got this, i didn't get that, they got money, we didn't' thats called life, if we all got the same at the same time life would be rather boring, just because Accrington Academy got the funding doesn't make it a bad place

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Nothing to do with 'tit for tat' Shaz, and I am certainly not criticising the value of the Academy, it's simply about getting the best value for money across the borough. On the face of it £350,000 for one single room sounds rather expensive to me although I am willing to be proved wrong as ever. As I understand it, it is a mixture of public and private investment that have come together and it is the public aspect that interests me.

I'm not against progress but it needs to be done in a cost-effective way. Accrington Academy clearly has a big part to play in the future of the borough so it is quite important that things like that are done correctly.

Vast sums of money being spent incorrectly can end up backfiring badly, just look at the Market Hall.

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:rolleyes:

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It is slightly ironic that to get the praise for designing a carbon neutral, eco friendly classroom involves a flight to California :)

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I can't wait until they start building the new swimming pool, you will burst a blood vessel or two :rofl38:

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

I'm the tit that registered the tat as a copyrighted trademark on this forum, way back in 2005.

Hands off, or I'll see you in court, Cllr. Moss.

;)

:D

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True, a nice walk to Clitheroe would have meant a smaller carbon footprint.

:D

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You have missed out the word "Discuss"
I suggest you widen your horizons, building houses from straw bales is becoming quite popular in Europe, and are proving to have very good insulation properties.
Who are you to say that this is a waste of money?
If any benefit can be gained from utilising any of the methods stated then I say well done.
Get a life Ken and find something else to do except slag PB and the Tories - IMHO you are typical of all opposition politicians. Criticise the party in power but never let on what you are prepared to do.
You may not realise it but you are fast becoming a pain in the posterior, for many people.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Oh don't say that Neil it may hinder is crusade to rescue world finances:D

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I'm slightly confused where this money is coming from ?

Yes, lovely project .. but each suggestion has to have deep seated knowledge of engineering, building, sourcing and the technical side of developing this classroomm, which I suspect has not been fully investigated.

Is their paper on line ?

P.S. Would think a little extra money could have been spent on a decent uniform for their presentation.. how sloppy do they look ... :rolleyes:

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Tell you after it's built :D

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I know what you mean but that not bad compared to many schools now. Have a look at the kids from the one nearer to me next time your passing.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

From what I can make out about it, it appears the 350,000 is the projected price of such a build. The kids have put together ideas of how it should be & what would be included, they've then spoken to various companies & suppliers to find out what is available & feasible, the idea was then put forward in a project (I assume alongside other Schools ideas) & theirs was deemed the best option & as such the project winner, apparently this goes back to earlier this year.

Eco-classroom for Accrington school (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Accrington pupils get a green light for eco classroom (From Blackburn Citizen)

Actually think the 350,000 may be a misprint 35,000 sounds more likely.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Err..this is a PFI project. There's more than a little journalistic licence and Google Page Ranking opportunity gone into this. I doubt if 350 grand will be the final bill - more like a million when it's paid for after 25 years or so.

Financial Close for Phase III of Lancashire BSF :

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Is that the same thing as The Royal Blackburn Hospital?

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

I thought education spending was a county council issue or government issue ?

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Yeah.

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You mean if one of the kids get injured they have to wait 6 hours for first aid ? :)

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I know one of the 1st aiders and that's not what happens :rolleyes::D

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Ooops...here's a first. I'm wrong. The Accy Academy is Design & Construct only, although it was part of a wider package involving PFI for Lancashire schools. It still works out pretty expensive, though.

Time to get back on to the Pinot Grigio.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Your distaste for me has already been noted, Barrie. That is certainly nothing new.

I couldn't be more blatant about what I would be prepared to do and in another thread today I have stated how I would happily risk disfavour among the few by making ruthless cuts for the benefit of the many.

I have not used the word 'waste' with regard to this classroom project, all I have said is that is sounds like rather expensive and I would be interested to see the long term cost comparisons. By all accounts the majority of the money is coming from the private sector anyway but it still doesn't alter my curiosity.

If I am becoming a pain in the backside to 'many' people then so be it. I did not become a councillor to be everybody's best friend, I became a councillor to do the best for the borough and as far as I can see that partly involves making sure the voters get value for money.

You may agree with money is spent in Hyndburn and I'm clearly not going to change your mind but until the balance of power shifts then I am by definition likely to be 'opposed' to it.

Discuss.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Ya Neil The Private Finance Initiative, I thought it was the first steps to privatise the NHS, but it was introduced my a Labour Government;) So it couldn't possibly be, could it:rolleyes:

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Wrong, Jaysay. PFI was introduced by the Tories back in the early '90s. At the time, it was opposed by Labour but once in office they took to it with gusto.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Ya far more gusto than the Tories ever intended,

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Once again you criticise but where do you stand? Poitician in opposiition?
You are stereotyping yourself. IMHO you are all somewhat darker than lillywhite until you prove yourself to be whiter than white - DISCUSS

By the way, I am not Tory, Socialist or any other plitical persuasion. I think most if not all of you politicians, local and national are extremly economical with the truth.
Interpret that as you will:eek::eek::mad:

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

To be honest, you're losing me. Do you want me to trot out exactly the same post in every thread just so people know what I would do if Labour were in control? I have been through this many times before in other threads.

Bernadatte levelled much the same thing at me but I always try to put forward what I perceive to be the 'solution' to problems and if I'm asked a question about how I would do things differently I answer it. The latest one is here:

http://www.accringtonweb.com/forum/858623-post23.html

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

It would help if we knew the cost of a similar classroom built using traditional methods.
A lot of the money on traditional builds goes on architects and consutlants, as they have done most of the work themseves, those fees will have been saved so £350,000 does sound very expensive but anything with a 'green' purpose seems to be far more expensive than the carbon guzzling version.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

And here it is :

11/10/0477 Full: Erection of single storey building to 25/10/2010
accommodate school swimming pool and Road West Accrington BB5 4FF
external works to include hardsurfacing,
landscaping and parking

Accrington Academy Queens Road West Accrington BB5 4FF

Accrington Academy


Why should any one object ?

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Are you sure Katex ? Neil mentioned somethingg (post 22) about a swimming pool so this would appear to cover that, but I thought that the thing the Kids had designed was a "Classroom", or have I got the wrong end of the stick here ? :o

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

A bit vague, when one considers all that a swimming pool must include, isn't it?:D

P.S. I personally have nothing against the idea, (but I'm open to persuasion).
:)

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Trouble is, Less, HBC have not yet got into this century of including the full plans online (as with other towns): I will keep mentioning this. A trip to Scaitcliffe House is necessary ... and how many of us would bother to do this ? Only residents surrounding the grounds I suspect.

Hopefully, it would gain extra income by taking a leaf out of other people's books by hiring it out to private bodies, as other schools do (usually the Independents ... as per QEGS )

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Swimming pools generate income to offset their cost, plus this will not only benefit the Academy but presumably many other schools around.

It will cost a fair amount, but this is quite different from one single classroom.

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Yes, I know that, Ken ... was just picking up on Neil's remark in this thread ... just to be helpful like. :p

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You succeeded in your helpfulness admirably, Kate.

Allow me to furnish you with some karma.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Yes, it does seem expensive, but how much more use is a self sustaining classroom filled with keen Students, than the boring old same old, we went through?

I was just about old enough to remember the Russians launching 'Sputnik', how jealous I and my classmates were when it was revealed a Grammar School Teacher with his pupils had followed the whole thing, that was one hell of a Teacher, we need more of the same ilk.

These pupils must have one or two Teachers similar to that guy.

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Not sure how a swimming pool generates income.:confused:

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Given the number of unwashed who roam around Accrington I would say it's got no chance :D

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yeh led a sheltered life mate, all the pervs will pay to go in yon.:D

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You've really answered your own point there, it all boils down to the teachers.

We had desks and school equipment from Victorian England (or so it seemed) but we had fantastic teachers and I'm still grateful to every one of them. My primary school education was filled with all sorts of non-curricular activities which broadened my horizons and got us to think in different ways, a freedom which would almost certainly be denied to the teachers we have today.

One lesson in particular stands out in my mind when I was 10 years old. In order to teach us about the different parts of music (bass, melody, rhythm, etc.) our teacher played us Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds and we were spellbound. Part of that lesson also involved drawing scenes from the story that we had seen in our heads.

I just can't imagine that being on any curriculum today but it was lessons such as that which kept my interest in learning going.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Schools often hire out their swimming pools to various groups, or at least that's the case in various areas of Preston and I can't see the reason for it to be any different in Hyndburn.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

You can now take a university degree on David Beckham, or you could a couple of years ago. The one person who had more effect on my early years was one of my first teachers at St Mary's Ossy, local historian Cliff Astin, those were the days when you respected your teachers, which sadly doesn't seem to happen today

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking the idea (my grandaughter attends the academy) and it appears to be a very fine school.I just thought it unusual for a school to have It's own facility of this kind.:).

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It's certainly not the norm and I must admit to being in awe of Severn Drive School in Walton-le-Dale when I was 7 and finding out they had their own pool!

They can't be cheap to maintain but the number of surrounding schools that used the facilities must more than make up for that. Of all the physical activities we did at school I enjoyed swimming most and got more out of it than freezing my extremities off in the mud playing rugby in January.

Re: £350,000 classroom
 

Just a point Ken, when I was around 11 or 12 we went to the Baths once a week, mainly to learn how to swim, a bus would pick us up and drop us back off at school, does this still happen, never really heard much about this for years:confused:

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I think so, it certainly looks like it does with Norden School but I must confess I don't know for certain. If it doesn't then it's a crying shame because it was one of the most valuable things I was taught.

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The Academy has teo specialisms, sport and maths so you would expect the sport facilities to be excellent