The Caretakers' Forum

Hi
I was 15 years a caretaker at a modern primary with a surestart centre and private day care.
Just a year ago i changed schools to a 1970s build !
The contrast was and still is startling!

Tony

Welcome and yes you are right there is a vast array of school types and states.
It amazes me that we spend so much time effort and money on inherited issues RAAC, Asbestos, Oil boilers, Bad drainage, windows and Roofs.
Surely it must be cheaper to know down and start agin? (and don't call me Shirley ).

Welcome aboard.

I'm all for modern schools, but I wish the architects would learn lessons from past instead of starting off with a clean sheet of paper. The Victorians over-engineered everything, but everything lasted well. When I was a lad (a long time ago now), my school desk was over 100 years old and still going strong. Admittedly, there isn't much call for ink wells these days

Oh, and those huge cast iron radiators... If kids kicked them hard, all they would do is hurt themselves

thecaretaker wrote: ↑15th May 2023 at 10:45am Welcome aboard.

I'm all for modern schools, but I wish the architects would learn lessons from past instead of starting off with a clean sheet of paper. The Victorians over-engineered everything, but everything lasted well. When I was a lad (a long time ago now), my school desk was over 100 years old and still going strong. Admittedly, there isn't much call for ink wells these days

Oh, and those huge cast iron radiators... If kids kicked them hard, all they would do is hurt themselves

Welcome to the site

CT i agree with you. The old school i had was really well built (50s), used to take about 6 drill bits to put up a noticeboard . Those radiators were much better than we got in our new build, heating coils in the ceiling. In the early 80s i was covering at another school and was on a break when a pupil came and said there is a leak in a radiator in our classroom, i said that i would finish my lunch and come and have a look, 5 minutes later he came back and said miss has asked if you could come now. I went only to discover that the leak was actually the whole top of the on off valve was off and the water was hitting the ceiling . The whole classroom and corridor, all wooden flooring was flooded, took hours to clear up. Some COs need to change their vocabulary

Welcome

Welcome aboard,

My previous school was over 100 years old, My current school is 50..... My childrens school was a new build (2000s)

In order of what i prefer after all i have seen etc

1. 100 years school
2. New Build
3. 50 years

The really old schools were build to last, the schools built in the 60's and 70's were build it quick prefabs with a literny off long standing issues

The new builds are built in a similar fashion, without the headache of asbestos, Old boilers, but with flat pitched leaky rooves

Welcome aboard

Welcome aboard bro.