Frequently Asked Questions
· Why does the pre-school need a new building?
Our current building is rapidly deteriorating. A Full Structural Survey was undertaken in 2003 which stated that the estimated life of the building at that time was five more years. Our current building is no longer fit to deliver the education our children deserve. Should something irreparable happen tomorrow to the building, we would be forced to close.
· What is the timescale for the new building?
We hope to have a new building in place by September 2011.The new building needs to be built as soon as possible in order to ensure that the pre-school can continue and not be forced to close due to safety reasons. We have also been pledged £50,000 towards the cost of our new building by West Berkshire Council Early Years Fund which needs to be spent by April 2011 or we will lose this money.
· How big will the new building be?
The new building will be slightly bigger than our current building in order to accommodate a rest area and separate nappy changing area for the children, one of the recommendations of OFSTED at their last inspection.
· What does that £170,000 include?
The £170,000 includes design fees, planning fees, project management fees, removal of existing building, foundations, new building cost, entrance canopy, landscaping and pathways, furniture, drainage and service connections, upgrade of site services, temporary accommodation and storage, kitchen fitout and sanitaryware.
· Surely, the building doesn’t have to cost as much as £170,000?
Yes it does. We would like to build an educational building with plenty of natural light and ventilation and which has a long lifespan (in excess of 40 years) so that all the future children of Streatley can avail of a local high quality early years education. Our experience of operating from a second hand Portakabin is that as the building rapidly deteriorates, we incur high maintenance costs; it has little natural light and is difficult to heat. Similar pre-school building projects in the local area are of a very similar price.
· Why not build a more permanent building?
Under the terms of our lease with West Berkshire Council, only a temporary building is allowed.
· What hours will you be open?
We will start with what we have 9am – 11.30am, Monday to Friday with an optional lunch extension to 1am. We envisage this could be extended to afternoon sessions if there is parental demand.
· How many children will the new building be able to accommodate?
Our current capacity is for 14 children per pre-school session. A well designed new building should allow us to accommodate up to 20 children per session. This will allow us to meet the demand from current local Streatley parents.
· What will the building look like?
It is our intention to build a new building which will blend in and be sympathetic to its environment.
· Will the building change location?
No, the current building will be dismantled and the new building erected on the same site in the grounds of Streatley Primary School.
· How long will the new build take?
Our contractor estimates that the total build time will be within 10 weeks. We also welcome comments from you as to what you would like to see happen with the Pre-school. Perhaps longer hours would be attractive to you? Maybe you would like to see the building used for outreach services? Do write, talk or email us to tell us your views
Our current building is rapidly deteriorating. A Full Structural Survey was undertaken in 2003 which stated that the estimated life of the building at that time was five more years. Our current building is no longer fit to deliver the education our children deserve. Should something irreparable happen tomorrow to the building, we would be forced to close.
· What is the timescale for the new building?
We hope to have a new building in place by September 2011.The new building needs to be built as soon as possible in order to ensure that the pre-school can continue and not be forced to close due to safety reasons. We have also been pledged £50,000 towards the cost of our new building by West Berkshire Council Early Years Fund which needs to be spent by April 2011 or we will lose this money.
· How big will the new building be?
The new building will be slightly bigger than our current building in order to accommodate a rest area and separate nappy changing area for the children, one of the recommendations of OFSTED at their last inspection.
· What does that £170,000 include?
The £170,000 includes design fees, planning fees, project management fees, removal of existing building, foundations, new building cost, entrance canopy, landscaping and pathways, furniture, drainage and service connections, upgrade of site services, temporary accommodation and storage, kitchen fitout and sanitaryware.
· Surely, the building doesn’t have to cost as much as £170,000?
Yes it does. We would like to build an educational building with plenty of natural light and ventilation and which has a long lifespan (in excess of 40 years) so that all the future children of Streatley can avail of a local high quality early years education. Our experience of operating from a second hand Portakabin is that as the building rapidly deteriorates, we incur high maintenance costs; it has little natural light and is difficult to heat. Similar pre-school building projects in the local area are of a very similar price.
· Why not build a more permanent building?
Under the terms of our lease with West Berkshire Council, only a temporary building is allowed.
· What hours will you be open?
We will start with what we have 9am – 11.30am, Monday to Friday with an optional lunch extension to 1am. We envisage this could be extended to afternoon sessions if there is parental demand.
· How many children will the new building be able to accommodate?
Our current capacity is for 14 children per pre-school session. A well designed new building should allow us to accommodate up to 20 children per session. This will allow us to meet the demand from current local Streatley parents.
· What will the building look like?
It is our intention to build a new building which will blend in and be sympathetic to its environment.
· Will the building change location?
No, the current building will be dismantled and the new building erected on the same site in the grounds of Streatley Primary School.
· How long will the new build take?
Our contractor estimates that the total build time will be within 10 weeks. We also welcome comments from you as to what you would like to see happen with the Pre-school. Perhaps longer hours would be attractive to you? Maybe you would like to see the building used for outreach services? Do write, talk or email us to tell us your views