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Eight new academies ... and not one has its own swimming pool
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent05.09.08
City academies costing hundreds of millions of pounds are being built across London without crucial sports facilities, the Evening Standard reveals today.
None of the capital's newest flagship schools has a swimming pool, despite the sport being on the national curriculum and Britain's success at the Beijing Games last month. Many also lack tennis courts, running tracks or gyms.
Teachers warned that schools would be left with a "tatty" legacy from the 2012 Games. It comes after Culture Secretary Andy Burnham promised last week that school sport would be at the heart of the "Olympic era".
But dozens of swimming pools are closing across England under Gordon Brown's school rebuilding programme, and figures show many children are still not playing enough games.
Meanwhile, the academy proposed for the 2012 Olympic Village has dropped plans to specialise in sport.
The Standard analysed facilities planned for the eight new London academies opening in old buildings this week. Many projects are at an early stage and the schools will eventually be housed in state-of-the-art structures.
Plans confirmed so far will cost almost £220million - but they show a mixed picture for sport:
• There will be running tracks in only three of the eight academies.
• All have sports halls but none will have a swimming pool.
• Tennis courts and grass playing fields are planned for only three so far.
• Only half will have their own gyms.
The new institutions include Pimlico Academy, which will lose a swimming pool when it is rebuilt, despite costing £35.3million.
John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, said the lack of sporting facilities "leaves the Olympic legacy looking pretty tatty".
He added: "It is absolutely bizarre that in the Government's own backyard the very facilities we will need for 2012 are not being built into academies."
Liberal Democrat education spokesman David Laws added: "If the Government is serious about building on our recent Olympic success it needs to ensure there are good sports facilities in all of our schools."
However, schools minister Lord Adonis said the academies would be " excellent" schools providing quality sports: "We are committed to all academies having first-class sports facilities. They will all have sports halls built to the highest specifications. Almost invariably, the facilities are better than those in the schools that they replaced."
He said pools were not usually funded from the £45 billion Building Schools for the Future policy: "There's a limit to how much funding BSF can provide."
Academies are state schools sponsored by companies, charities, individuals or faith or community groups. The academy programme aims to transform education in deprived areas.
Sponsors of the new schools include Future, a charity chaired by venture capitalist John Nash; the Harris Federation of Schools, led by Carpetright boss Lord Harris of Peckham; Absolute Return for Kids (ARK), chaired by Arpad Busson; Christian group Oasis; the Diocese of London; and City University.
Sponsors argued that space was too limited for a full range of facilities, and pointed out that in may cases they were still using old school buildings. Many said they had good access to nearby off-site facilities. ARK managing director Lucy Heller said: "We are on small sites but we have absolute confidence that we can deliver terrific sport."
A Croydon council spokesman said of the Oasis academy in Coulsdon: "There is an £18.4 million spend scheduled for the next two years. When the planned sports facilities are completed, they will be among the very best."
The Evening Standard's charter to deliver an Olympic legacy
• Create sporting inspiration and facilities "that last for the generation to come"
• Secure access to top-class sporting facilities for all
• Ringfence money to secure Olympic legacy and ensure millions more participate in sport
• No more sell-offs of school or council sports facilities
• Establish a system of "Olympic Champions" with top athletes going into schools to inspire children, teachers and parents
Reader views (7)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Re Vanessa's comments; well no, the Govt can't think that far ahead. and really why should it, with it's eye on what it has considered to be its free pass - get the private schools to provide the facilities! then people wonder why we've turned into a society of weak parasites, when those ruling us are incapable of making rational and sensible long term good decisions!
- Patricia O, Croydon; UK
When my children were young we spent hours in the car driving to swimming lessons, cricket, football, rugby and horseriding.
At one point our brilliant swimming instructor wanted to build a pool in the school grounds, which she hoped to share with the school and her own private classes. She was turned down.
However the school did allow a Tae Kwando school to be run in the evenings using the school hall. It was a great success across a wide age group.
Good luck to everyone trying to improve the situation with the new academies.
- Anita, London
Well its not just a swimming pool, its all facilities for all sports!
Maybe we should building academies for sports and for other industries for children to develop their interpersonal skills.
- Adrian, London,UK
With all the new developments in London e.g. Army barracks in Sloane St, you would think that this crap government could make sure that sports facilities were part of the contract. The new academies have no playgrounds and no pools, and the government is surprise it goes on handing out more and more ASBOS! Who do they think use these academies - geriatrics? Children need to play, that is how they learn. God help this country with more flats, hotels and shops and nowhere to go and nothing to do!
- Vanessa Crichton, London
The Evening Standard's ideals are good, but a complete attitudinal change within education authorities, from the Government down, must take place. There is little recognition in England that personal fitness is a hugely important factor in educational and lifelong success and that sport cannot take place without at least adequate facilities. As a younger teacher, I saw it demonstrated year after year that proper exercise and fitness would raise an entire high school's profile in examination success. From the very start of their school career, children must be encouraged to make and keep themselves fit beginning with regularly timetabled and enjoyable fitness programmes in Nursery classes and built on from there. Not everyone is cut out for sporting success, but it will be impossible to find most of the potential sports stars of the future if a start in the right direction is not made.
Good education should educate the whole person, not just train them to pass academic tests.
- Kiwi Expat, London, UK
It is brilliant news that we should rightly be celebrating here, not picking on single issues with which to knock the development. Well done Gordon Brown.
- Keith Price, Luton, England
This isn't the bad news. Across the country the BSF programme is seeing existing swimming pools demolished to make way for these new academies.
Even a specialist 'sports' academy is having the pool on it's site (the only community pool in the area)demolished as part of the BSF improvement works. The Buttershaw pool, in the sports ministers own constituency is also going as part of the BSF work!
- John Whitby, Peterborough, Cambs
