The London Nautical School (LNS) was founded in 1915. This was as a direct result of the Liberal Government’s enquiry into the loss of RMS Titanic three years earlier in the Atlantic Ocean. In April 1990, LNS was awarded Grant Maintained (GM) status and, in September 1999, it became a Foundation School. LNS is principally a boys’ secondary school with 635 pupils. Girls are admitted into the 6^th Form and there are currently 16 on roll. The school was originally located at Rotherhithe in London but these premises were destroyed during the blitz. At the end of the war, LNS returned to South London from Wales. It twice moved location until, in 1964, it occupied the building previously used by The London College of Printing near Waterloo Station. The original building is Grade II listed and dates back to 1826 when the occupier was St Patrick’s School, a Catholic orphanage for boys and girls. Although the premises have been a centre of learning for nearly 180 years, working conditions are not up to the standards we would expect of a school in the 21^st Century.

In the 1990’s, the school was successful in several bids for capital works projects, submitted through the Funding Agency for Schools (FAS), being the Agency which monitored GM funding. Capital funding received enabled projects such as science laboratories refurbishment and re-roofing the Design and Technology workshop block. Other bids such as those for damp proofing and replacement windows were unsuccessful. Governors were well aware that a detailed and costly programme of works was required to improve the overall conditions of the school. From 1996 onwards, several options were considered and then rejected, including moving to another site. PFI was an obvious alternative but Governors did not feel this course of action to be best for securing the school’s nautical ethos. Funding running into several millions was not available from either the DfES or the LEA. Indeed, once LNS ceased to be GM many other schools in the borough, with equally pressing needs, were feeding from the same very small trough. Projects submitted were being rejected, to a point where their very submission was, time-wise, seen as a wasted exercise. Self help was required.

In September 2003, LNS became a Sports College. The Sports College Status bid was centred on water based activities such as rowing, sailing and swimming. This, naturally, enhanced the nautical nature of the school but a sports college required a sports hall and a dilapidated, 35 year old gymnasium did not quite fit the image of a successful Sports College in a Sports Action Zone being asked by the LEA to assist in the co-ordination of sports for schools in the Borough.

Finally, there was the popularity of the school. Located in central London at the confluence of many transportation routes, and situated on the River Thames boundary of five boroughs – Lambeth, Southwark, Westminster, Islington and Tower Hamlets. The school received five applications for each place on offer and held 80 more pupils on roll than the accommodation dictated (mobile classrooms having to be deployed in the playground).

So a plan was hatched. Serious funding was required which could attract other match funding. The enthusiasm of a supportive and proactive Governing Body working with a Headmaster who understood how to ‘network’ was key to its success. The only way funds could be raised to the level required was by selling off part of the playground, for residential development.

Several factors now came into play. The school had to convince the DfES, the LEA, the Borough’s planning department and the local community that it was serious in its aims. Key was to have on board an excellent team of professional advisers. The first step was to appoint an architect who had a serious understanding of schools and their needs, and property consultants who would negotiate land disposal on the school’s behalf. This step was taken in 1996-97.

The Project was broken into three distinct phases. Phase 1, was the demolition of the existing gymnasium and music centre, followed by the building of a new sports hall and accommodation to include a new music centre and new 6^th Form centre. Phase 2 was the adaptation of existing buildings to better use available space, providing extra classrooms and storage whilst also enabling faculties to be centralised. In Phases 1 and 2, the school would benefit from 14 extra classrooms. Phase 3 contained the refurbishment plan for the existing buildings; including re-roofing work, damp proofing, asbestos removal, windows replacement, rewiring and not least, addressing essential health and safety needs.

By early 2000, the Governors had their plan. In the four years 2000-2003, Governors convinced DfES, who approved the land disposal, and Sport England, who approved the new sports hall development. An essential ingredient at this time was the use of a sports and leisure company who investigated the local area’s needs for a new sports hall and who developed a business plan for the running of a community based sports hall. This has to be set in the context of schools, nowadays, being seen very much as part of their local communities. LNS obtained its agreements by proving its commitment to the local community (eg the school’s mini bus is a collaboration with the local church). The school successfully applied for funding support from the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB). Funding support was considered from Sport England through Lottery funding but was not pursued since other collaborations reduced LNS’s chances of receiving even a small slice from a much reduced cake in London.

Liaison with the Borough’s Planning Department had been identified as vital from the outset. A Liaison Officer was appointed and LNS was meticulous in ensuring that the Planning Department was aware of the plans and any alterations being considered. The obvious intention was to eradicate anything contentious before the planning application was considered by the Borough’s Planning Committee. Similarly, the local community, parents, staff and pupils were also kept informed of developments. To better facilitate the land sale, the school’s architect provided plans both for the residential development and for the school’s own development, to be presented together for planning consent.

A serious dichotomy was now faced in that the DfES required all revenue from the land sale to be put back into education. The Mayor of London, on the other hand, expected the new residential development to contain elements of affordable housing. It was evident that the affordable housing element would seriously reduce the size of the ‘pot’ available and this could jeopardise the whole project. A departure from the norm was necessary, bearing in mind that this was after all to be a community sports hall. Apart from the land disposal, it was the request for no affordable housing in the development that was the most likely sticking point. In the event, the obvious merits of the scheme obtained the consent required. There were certain caveats. The purchaser of the land (ie the residential developer) could not begin work until the school had formally signed a contact with its own building contractor. A Section 106 had to be agreed (a quid pro quo in that, for the project to proceed, something had to be included to improve the area and in this case it was an agreement with Transport for London). Also, archaeological exploration was required, cleared by English Heritage, due to the historical interest in the area.

As needs arose, so the team was expanded, to include Quantity Surveyor (QS), Solicitors expert in commercial and property law, Structural Engineer, Mechanical & Electrical Engineer, Planning Supervisor and Acoustics consultant. The final cog in the Design Team wheel was to appoint a Project Manager – a motivator who understood how to drive a plan forward pulling all the various experts with him. The Bursar was able to do this in the early stages but as the design reached a critical point with contractors needing to bid against detailed specifications in a full tender – so a project manager with the necessary expertise was needed.

The school’s property consultant secured a list of buyers for the land sale, with decision on the approved developer being taken by Governors in early 2004. The contractual negotiations with this developer included the school assuming responsibility for both ‘rights of light’ negotiations with local residents and businesses and for archaeological surveys.

The school’s QS masterminded the search for an approved contractor, with advertising initially through OJEC (the Journal of the European Union). Some 30 contractors were long listed, reducing to 6 being interviewed on a long short list. This enabled 3 to be selected to submit full tenders for what had now turned out to be a ‘Design and Build’ contract.

To enable matters to proceed expeditiously, the school’s old gymnasium and music centre were demolished during the summer recess of 2004, with that contractor being unrelated to the new build. Temporary classrooms were also installed to balance the loss of accommodation. Arrangements were made locally by the school’s Director of Sport, to facilitate PE during this transitional period.

The position now is that the school’s approved Contractor, Haymills began  work on Phase 1 of the project on 15 July 2005.  Phase 1 should be completed by 31 August 2006. 

The foundation stone for the Sports Hall is being laid on 23 November 2005 when the guest of honour will be Kate Hoey MP.