CA8/387

M335. Dunstable. Northfields County Secondary Modern School (M/E).

1964-78

From: 1964 To: 1978

Letter from Weldability Engineering Co Ltd, Luton, to Bedfordshire County Council; 'We acknowledge receipt of your letter of 20 Dec 1963, together with your statement of expenses involved due to the flooding of the old Boiler House and would you please make the necessary adjustments on the balance of contract outstanding to us. We regret the inconvenience caused by this unfortunate incident, but we are still at a loss to explain how the missing flange was not noticed whilst we carried out the normal inspection during the filling up process, as the old Boiler House was inspected on the previous Sunday evening and nothing amiss was apparent then'; 3 Jan 1964 Further letter to Architect's Department; 'We acknowledge receipt of your letter of 9 Jan in connection with Northfields School work to be completed, and would comment as follows: With regard to the Oil Burner cutting out, this cannot be put right until the Stabiliser is fitted which at present is not in our Contract. However, further to the discussion with your office on the 15th instant we are ordering a stabiliser the same size as the existing one fitted to the adjacent boiler and will ask Nu-Ways to visit the site when this is available. With regard to the Drip Pipe from the safety valve and the fire valve cable, we have this already in hand. Regarding the flue doors, when we were last on site none of them were damaged, and therefore, we do not consider ourselves responsible for this. We are, however, ordering a replacement. With reference to the Boiler front plate, we are arranging for some sealing compound to be inserted around the edge. We are also arranging for the brick work left behind by Nu-Ways to be removed from the Boilerhouse. We would also mention that there is a considerable heap of rubbish in the Boilerhouse that is not our responsibility, and we do not propose to interfere with this. With regard to the missing foot pump in the old boilerhouse sump, this was not removed by us, so we have no knowledge of its whereabouts, but we will arrange for a replacement'; 16 Jan 1964 Further letter; 'We now have received and delivered to site the necessary stabiliser to be fitted into the boiler flue, and no doubt, you will want to arrange the necessary brickwork to be undertaken by your builder and therefore, leave you to arrange this'; 11 Feb 1964 Letter from A C Kilminster, Electrical Manager, H C Janes Ltd, Office & Works - Barton-le-Clay; Head Office - Stopsley Green, to County Architect; 'We have pleasure in submitting our draft final account for additional electrical work involved at the School. 1) Modifications and alterations to electrical installation in accordance with our tender dated 31 Jul 1963 and your order No. 269 - £663..13s..6d; 2) Additional works covered on our quotation 13 Sep 1963; a) move class change bell; b) wire and connect programme clock; c) neutral wiring to light over grinder; £15..15s..8d; total £679..9s..2d; 20 Jan 1964 Reply [to Barton address]; 'I would point out that you have failed to omit the Contingency sum of £75, Clause 4.12, before adding back the additional works covered by your quotation dated 13 Sep 1963. Would you please amend your final account accordingly'; 30 Jan 1964 Revised draft final account subtracts contingency sum of £75, new total £604..9s..2d; 31 Jan 1964 Letter from K Boulton, Headmaster, to Director of Education; 'It is now five months since work was started on the project to heat the whole of this school from the boiler house in the new block. During the operation, the small boiler which supplied the hot water for the administrative part of the building was put out of use. This has still not been restored, and for five months the staff have had no hot water. I am sure you will agree that this is not desirable. As we have no P.E. Mistress, many of the women staff take girls' games and on return from the field, need adequate washing facilites before returning to the classroom. I understand that there is a plan to supply electric heaters, and I should be most grateful if their installation could be undertaken at the earliest possible moment'; 20 Jan 1964 Memo from Director of Education to County Architect; 'This school has recently purchased a trampoline and I should be grateful if you could arrange for the necessary harness and fitments to be installed. What is needed is similar to the roof fitments provided in our new Gymnasium'; 28 Jan 1964 Memo from Director of Education to County Architect; 'There are two very old wooden classrooms at this school, one of which is at present used as a P.E. store, and the other is not used at all. This latter hut is in a very dilapidated condition and I should be glad if you could arrange for it to be taken down and removed'; 18 Feb 1964 Form BM2: The following requires attention: 1) Please inspect overhead heaters in dining room as the Eastern Gas Board have reported that some of them are beyond repair; 2) Renew formica on service hatch by wash-up unit and provide sliding doors to shelves under the hatch and cook's preparation bench'; 13 Mar 1964 [pen note: Eastern Gas Board submitting estimate for replacement] Specification of work to be done and materials to be supplied and used for the Interior Decoration; Complete Interior Decorations to Eight Classrooms and Canteen Building Rooms; The work is to be carried out during the school summer holidays, Jul 22 - Aug 30, 1964'; Mar 1964 Letter from Headmaster to Director of Education; 'I have to inform you that between 8pm Fri Jun 5 and 7am Sat Jun 6, these premises were broken into. The effects were as follows: 28/- which had been collected by children for charity was stolen from the store room of the Medway classroom. The main premises were entered by the breaking of a first floor window in the new building; thereafter, the secretary's office and the Headmaster's study were broken into. Little appears to have been stolen from the main building, with the exception of 2 sets of keys, one of these sets being those needed to open the HORSA hut block. The Canteen was also broken into by the breaking of a window, and inside, the Cook Supervisor's office and two store rooms were entered, but nothing stolen'; 9 Jun 1964 Memo from Director of Education to County Architect; 'The Headmaster has reported that after a storm in Dunstable on Sat night last, the piece of ground set aside for tennis courts and that part of the school field nearby were again covered with foul sewage when the manhole covers were lifted by the quantity of water. At one point it is considered to be dangerous with a loose brick and a hole in the ground left by the passing liquid. I should be grateful for your observations'; 19 Jun 1964 Memo from Clerk of the County Council to County Architect; 'I write to inform you that I have today given permission to the owner of the property adjoining the land acquired from APCM Ltd in connection with this school, to bring a lorry across this land in the next day or so to put some manure on his garden'; 28 Sep 1964 Note to Mr Lawes; 'During the weekend Oct 17-19, someone got into the school, ran the fire hose to the boiler house and left it running. The boiler house was flooded. Messrs R Clark of Barton was called in to pump the water out and to repair damaged oil burners etc., I have requested them to give details of work carried out out of normal working hours'; undated [Oct 1964] Letter from Headmaster to Director of Education; 'I have to report that the school premises were entered during the night of Fri Oct 16, and that the standing hose was run out into the boiler house and left turned on, with the result that the boiler house was flooded to a depth of approximately 1 foot. Electricians had to be called in to put the oil fired boilers into operation again, and one of the two boilers is still not functioning properly. Mr Dart, the caretaker, showed commendable initiative and and worked extra hours to pump away the water'; 22 Oct 1964 Memo from Director of Education to County Architect; 'The Acting Housing Estate Manager of the Dunstable Borough Council has informed me that he has received complaints from the tenants of properties adjoining the school playing field. Apparently, the tenants of the houses have been troubled by children from the school coming into their gardens through the chain link boundary fence. I should be grateful, therefore, if you could arrange for this fence to be inspected and any necessary repairs put in hand'; 14 Oct 1965 Letter from Headmaster to Heating Engineer, Architect's Department; 'Last year we were supplied with 20 gallons of Desulfurol, which was part of a bulk order made by the Authority. I should be pleased to know if we are required to make individual orders this year or whether a bulk order is again to be made by you. I should like to point out that our Kitchen hot water supply is now heated from our main boiler house. We shall, therefore, be burning much more fuel oil in future, and shall need a larger supply of Desulfurol'; 22 Apr 1966 Letter from Headmaster to Mr H Potts; 'The first floor landing in the 3 storey block is in sore need of attention. A very large number of tiles are now up and I shall be grateful if this could be seen to as soon as possible. We have most of the tiles but a small number may have to be provided'; 15 Jun 1966 Memo from Clerk of the County Council to County Architect; 'I enclose particulars of the flat at 27 Beech Green leased from Dunstable Corporation which the Dunstable Corporation have made temporarily available to the County Council for sub-letting to the caretaker until the end of Jan 1967, when the new school bungalow should be ready. The caretaker, Mr J Gray, will move into the flat on 3 Sep'; [basic rent £1..11..1d; 1/52nd of General Rates and Water Charges 17s...8d; £2..8s..9d per week in total]; 23 Aug 1966 Letter from Clerk of the County Council to Housing Estates Manager, Dunstable Borough Housing Department; 'I now write formally to confirm that the County Council wish to relinquish their tenancy of the flat at 27 Beech Green with effect from 6 Feb 1967. The present tenant, Mr J Gray, will in fact vacate the flat on 31 Jan to move into the newly completed house provided by the County Council for him as caretaker of Northfields County Secondary School at Dunstable. I understand that your Council will accept this flat back into their "pool" and to replace it at a later date with either a house or flat suitable to the requirements of a County Council employee in the "miscellaneous group" nominated for accommodation under the arrangement agreed between our two Authorities'; 27 Jan 1967 Memo from Clerk of the County Council to County Treasurer (and County Architect); 'Will the County Treasurer please charge garage rent to Mr Gray at the rate of £20 per annum inclusive of rates, from 1 Feb 1967. It will be noted that Mr Gray will vacate 27 Beech Green on 31 Jan and move on that day to the newly completed bungalow provided by the County Council for him on the site of Northfields County Secondary School'; 27 Jan 1967 Letter from County Architect to Valuation Office, Inland Revenue, Luton; '1) Dunstable Northfields CS School: Additional land was purchased to compensate for that lost to buildings, therefore NO reduction of Playing Field area; 2) Dunstable Downside CP School: The original site included a portion earmarked to form part of a new Infants School. This portion was grassed and used as a temporary addition to the Playing Field. The Infants School is now completed and the portion referred to taken over. In this respect only the Playing Field area has been reduced; 3) Houghton Regis (High St - St Michaels Ave) CP School: The Playing Field area is 2.1 acres (or thereabouts)'; 14 Apr 1967 Letter from County Architect to R F Carrington, Surveyor's Department, Dunstable; 'Thank you for your letter of 7 Jul 1967 together with plan of your proposals to relieve the surcharging of this foul sewer. Unfortunately the siting of the proposal would run through three newly seeded tennis courts, and in view of the considerable cost to your Authority of reinstatement, I am wondering if you might consider my alternative to avoid this. If the grass courts are disturbed by this type of work it will be several years before they can be restored satisfactorily for use. All settlement and reinstatement of the trenches would have to be complete, and it would then necessitate the re-cultivation and seeding of the three courts. I am enclosing a copy of my drawing showing the line of the relief sewer in relation to the tennis courts, and should be pleased to receive your comments. I have a Committee Meeting on Mon next and if you have by that time any further proposal'; 13 Jul 1967 Borough of Dunstable Drawing: Proposed 12" diameter Foul Sewer Relief; vertical scale 1/10" to 1'; horizontal and plan scale 1:500; 5 Jul 1967 Reply from Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Dunstable Borough; 'I enclose the revised plan and section of my proposal, which avoids the playing area of all your proposed tennis courts. This is the maximum alteration I can make to the line of the proposed relief sewer, and in the circumstances I should be pleased to receive your early clearance on these proposals'; 20 Jul 1967 Further copy of Borough of Dunstable Drawing with note: Superseded - line of relief sewer revised. Memo from County Architect to Director of Education; 'Further to Mr Hartley's telephone conversation with Mr Watkins, I enclose a copy of my drawing showing the line of a proposed relief sewer in relation to the grass tennis courts at the school. This sewer is proposed by the Dunstable Corporation to relieve conditions generally, and they are anxious to proceed as quickly as possible. I would be pleased to receive your comments prior to obtaining the Chairman's approval'; 25 Jul 1967 Reply; 'I promised Mr Hartley a few weeks ago to confirm in writing in due course the agreement which I had made with him and with you on the line of a proposed relief sewer. I am of the opinion which you have already expressed, that if this work is carried out as neatly as we have every reason to suppose it will be, it should not interfere with the playing field or grass tennis courts'; 24 Aug 1967 Letter from County Architect to Borough Engineer and Surveyor, Dunstable Borough; 'I refer to your letter of 20 Jul 1967 enclosing a revised plan of the line of the proposed relief sewer where it crosses Northfields School, and now confirm my assistant's (Mr Hartley) telephone conversation with you when you were advised that the Chairman of my committee had agreed that providing the work is carried out with the minimum of interference to the School, and reinstatement is properly undertaken, you can proceed'; 30 Aug 1967 Reply; 'Thank you for your letter dated the 30th ultimo, the contents of which have been noted. Unfortunately, due to a delay in the delivery of materials, I do not expect this work to commence until the middle of October. I will discuss my programme on site with the headmaster before this date so as to ensure the minimum of interference to the School when the work starts'; 4 Sep 1967 Reply; 'I note you will not be able to commence work on the relief sewer until mid October. Apart from advising the Headmaster when you are arranging a start, please let me know also'; 6 Sep 1967 Tenders invited for tree and shrub planting from Rushmere Landscapes, Leighton Buzzard; D J Goff, Bromham; Frosts Garden Centre, Woburn Sands; Lillywhites Garden Centre Ltd, Leagrave; Bill Morris Ltd, St Albans; 6 Sep 1967 Drawing: Playing Field Layout; scale 1:500; Apr 1966; Issued 24 Jul 1967 Form BM2 Building Maintenance: The following requires attention: 'Blackout blinds in rooms 22, 23 (both roller mechanism) and 24. Broken or cracked windows in room 23, boys cloakroom, small gas store cupboard near boys entrance, room 13, library, 2 in passage outside room 13, 2 in passage outside room 9, 2 small louvre windows in dining hall and 1 in kitchen. 1 in Deputy Head's room. Approximately 6-8 tiles in gymnasium ceiling'; 22 Nov 1967 Letter from D Fone, Headmaster, to Director of Education; 'I am very concerned about the state of the wire fence which surrounds part of the school playing field. I believe this part of the playing field was at one time a recreation ground and was taken over for the school a number of years ago. A public footpath runs between the fence and the edge of a deep quarry of the Portland Cement Works. The fence is completely down in one part and the metal wiring of the fence is jutting out across the public footpath. Naturally, I am concerned that somebody walking down the footpath may meet with an accident and I should be grateful if the matter could be dealt with. Many of the metal windows overlooking the boys' and girls' playground do not close properly. I think this is mainly due to the thick coating of paint which was applied when the school was being modernised last year. Naturally I am concerned about the security aspect and within the last week we have had some theft, amounting to £20 - £30, of musical equipment. I feel that the thief may well have got through one of these windows. I did mention this problem to Mr Potts soon after I joined the school but his telephone message in reply indicated that he thought that the paint would thin out naturally during the summer months. This has not happened and I should be grateful if you would look into the matter'; 8 Dec 1967 Memo from Director of Education to County Architect; 'I refer to my memo of 12 Dec 1967 concerning the wire fence surrounding part of the school playing field. The Headmaster has written again concerning this matter and states that the fence is "completely broken down and rusted beyond repair in many places so that pupils could easily walk through it on to the edge of the quarry nearby. This fence is only about two to three yards from the quarry edge with a drop of 80 to 100 feet on the other side. I consider it to be most dangerous". I shall be grateful if you will arrange for any necessary maintenance to be carried out'; 18 Jun 1968 Specification of work to be done and materials to be supplied and used for the Replacement of Gate Entrance: Removal of existing wooden gates and part piers, rebuilding piers and supplying and hanging one pair of gates and two single gates all to the rear entrance; Dec 1967 Memo from H H Potts to County Architect; 'The replacement of the old wooden gates at the rear of the school was proposed six years ago, but had been left because of the large scale alteration being carried out, and most builder's lorries use this entrance. As the work had been approved under the school maintenance work it was agreed with Mr Wall to carry out this work on the completion of the alterations to the design of the front entrance. The old wooden gates now no longer exist, the piers need rebuilding, and the rear entrance cannot be shut against the public out of school hours. This is the last of the estimated work for the year 1967/68 and a very small programme is approved for 1968/69'; 18 Jan 1968 Letter from D Fone, Headmaster, to Mr H Potts; 'There are a number of repair items that I would like seen to. 1) One of the main water pipes running down the corridor outside room 13 is leaking so that water runs out across the corridor tiles; 2) There has been some damage to plaster up the stairs in the 3 storey block. Some of the plaster is very loose and the damage is likely to get worse unless it is seen to fairly soon; 3) The girls' toilets still overflow onto the girls' playground; 4) The laboratory assistant has infomed me that, although the sink units in Rooms 22 and 23 were measured up for supports (by Watsons?) during last Summer Holidays, we have not heard any more. Some of the taps in these laboratories are leaking and need attention; 5) I believe it was agreed to put new traps in each of the sink units in Room 13 but it would appear that nothing has yet been done'; 15 Jan 1968 Memo from Director of Education to County Architect; 'I have received a letter from the Borough of Dunstable concerning the boundary fence between the playing field and the properties Nos. 90-96 Northfields. In order to enable me to deal with this matter, I shall be grateful if you will let me know if this boundary fence is the property of the County Council'; 18 Jun 1968 Letter from D J Burnett, Housing Estates Manager, Dunstable Borough, to Director of Education; 'The boundary fence between the Council's properties at 90-96 Northfields and the playing field at Northfields School is in a particularly dilapidated condition and a certain amount of annoyance is being caused to the tenants by children coming through from the playing field to retrieve balls. I think I am correct in assuming that the fence in question is in your ownership and I should be obliged if you would arrange for early attention to be given to this matter'; 12 Jun 1968 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I have received a letter from Mr Fone, Headmaster, requesting repairs to the wire fence between the school playing field and the rear of dwelling house gardens. He states this is old, rusty and broken in places. I shall be grateful if you will give this matter your attention'; 21 Nov 1969 Letter from D Fone, Headmaster, to Mr H Potts; 'Some of the plaster has been damaged in the three storey block. We have found the culprit and have dealt with the matter at this end but I am concerned that this plaster is not stable and a large area of it is not really fixed to the wall behind. I should be pleased if you could ask a contractor to put this right together with a small area around a radiator in the Technical Block'; 28 Jun 1968 Further letter [Mr Potts crossed out and Mr Banks inserted]; 'Approximately half the lights in the Main Assembly Hall have now blown over the course of the last few months. I should be grateful if you would arrange for a contractor with scaffolding or other apparatus to replace them. With the increase in the number of girls taking Needlework in the school, we are being forced to use a second room for this subject. I should like a strip light in one of the cupboards in Room 8 for this subject. Is it possible that you could help us on this point?'; 9 Sep 1968 [pen note: AWA please order R Clark to replace all lamps £25] Further letter to Mr Potts; 'There are a number of items which I would be pleased if you would ask contractors to see to: There are broken windows in Rooms 18, 23, boys toilet, the landing near the typing room and the corridor opposite Room 13. Two of the metal pieces that open and close windows in the boys toilet are broken and one of the pipes which releases water into the urinal of the boys toilet in the Art Room Block has come away from the plaster. About 8 panels in the gymnasium ceiling still require attention'; 2 Dec 1968 Letter from Headmaster to Chief Education Officer; 'I have to report that the school premises were broken into on Mon evening of this week, 25 Nov. The thieves, we think two of them, were looking for money but, of course, went away almost empty handed since, as far as is humanly possible, we bank money as soon as we get it. However, in their search for money damage was done in the secretary's office, my room and the Deputy Head's room. Most of this has been repaired by a member of staff. The Police were called immediately to make their investigation. This they have done and the matter now rests with them. Entry to the school was gained by removing several panes of glass from the louvre windows. Unfortunately this is all too easy a process which Mr Wall, the Architect, is familiar with. I have informed Mr Wall that this has taken place since I know that he is mindful of the security aspect'; 27 Nov 1968 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I should be glad if you would please arrange for the following equipment to be installed, and to forward the invoices to me for payment through my Further Education Account: Northfields Further Education Centre - One Pugmill; Sharnbrook Further Education Centre - One Kiln [pencil: J Wady]'; 19 Dec 1968 Reply; 'I have placed an order for the installation of the kiln at Sharnbrook Further Education Centre. My assistant has visited the Northfields Further Education Centre and has discussed the location of the pugmill with the Art Teacher, who proposed bolting this to an existing bench, which is totally unsuitable and has advised the school that in the circumstances and the interests of safety, there should be provided the manufacturers purpose made stand which is securely bolted to the floor, the approximate additional cost for the stand will be £10-£12. I should be grateful if you would inform me further so that I may arrange for the installation to be carried out'; 9 Jan 1969 Reply; 'Will you please arrange for the purchase of a purpose-made stand and for the cost to be debited to "Further Education Centres and Classes'; 15 Jan 1969 Memo from County Architect to Mr E Jennings (Executive Supplies Officer); 'I should be pleased if you would arrange for the supply of the stand to suit the pugmill which is already at the centre and inform me when this has been delivered so that I can arrange for the installation and connection to be completed'; 20 Jan 1969 Memo from Chief Education Officer to Mr H J Pyne [crossed out and Mr Banks inserted]; 'Part of the Northfields School site was earmarked for use as an electrical sub-station. So far the Board have not taken up their option and I am wondering if you have any knowledge of their intentions. If not, let me know and I will write to the Electricity Board direct'; 7 Jan 1969 Letter from C W J Larkin, The Diafilter Engineering Co Ltd, Purley, to County Architect (attention Mr Todd); 'Our Engineer recently visited Northfields School with reference to complaints relating to the performance and the operation of our equipment and we have the following information to bring to your attention: On careful examination it was found that the filter media used was not of the type we normally recommend and this in our opinion could be a contributory cause to short filter cycles. In addition to this, it was noted that the paint was peeling very badly from the pool floor and this was being pulled into the filter plant when vacuuming the pool. It was also reported that the operator had removed the elements from the chamber and had scrubbed them and this could cause fraying of the septum material if carried out with a very coarse scrubbing brush. The result would be that the weave would close, losing its porosity. It is also our opinion that the filter plant is being run for an unnecessary length of time and we would advise that the equipment only operates for 10 - 12 hours daily, and we feel sure that if this advice is followed, better results will be achieved. It was the opinion of our Engineer that alternative advice had been given to the Caretaker regarding the operation of the equipment, the advice was contrary to the advice we would normally offer and we feel that if additional instructions are going to be issued, we would like the opportunity of vetting them to ensure that no operation is going to be detrimental to the performance of our equipment'; 1 Jul 1969 Memo from County Treasurer to County Architect; 'I enclose herewith an electricity account [not here] for the month of Jun 1969 and should be grateful for your assistance. In Jun 1968 the account totalled only £37..15s and, Whilst I appreciate that an electrically heated swimming pool came into use sometime in May 1969, it does seem to me that this is an enormous increase in electricity consumed over the previous year. Is it possible for a separate meter to be installed in order that the swimming pool cost of electricity can be isolated'; 16 Jul 1969 Reply: 'I have made a check on the installation and find that the increase is due exclusively to the use of the swimming pool and that the current consumption shows that the heating arrangement of such are not being controlled as requested by the Chief Education Officer. As this is a subject for the Chief Education Officer to attend to, I am sending a copy of this memo for his information. With regard to your query as to the possibility of a separate meter, I would advise you that this was investigated at the time of installation and, due to the large distance from the pool, it was agreed that the installation cost of providing separate metering would have added several hundred pounds to the total cost whereas the increased cost of running the pool due to the use of a not so favourable tariff should not exceed a few shillings per day. This calculation, of course, was based on a more intelligent use of the pool heating equipment than is being exercised at the moment'; 25 Aug 1969 Memo from County Architect to Chief Education Officer; 'I enclose herewith a copy of a letter which I have today sent to the Treasurer in reply to his memo of 16 Jul drawing my attention to an increase of almost £80 in the electricity consumption for Jun this year compared to Jun 1968. You will see from my reply that I attribute the increase in cost exclusively to the swimming pool and comment that the pool is obviously being run at temperatures far in excess of the recommended new circular on this subject. You will no doubt care to take this matter up directly with the school concerned'; 25 Aug 1969 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'Complaints have been received from the school regarding the slippery surface of the floors in the changing rooms. My Supplies Officer has taken this up with the floor specialists who are of the opinion that this slipperiness is not caused by the method of floor maintenance. I shall be pleased therefore if you will investigate this matter and let me have your observations in due course'; 26 Jan 1970 Reply; 'This floor surface is not suitable for large quantities of water being spilt on it, as it tends to become very slippery and dangerous. Rubber matting could be used over the surface, but this would have to be kept clean because of infection. If the floor still gives trouble after this, allowance will be made in the estimates for 1971/72 for removal and replacement with quarry tile paving. The estimated cost would be in the region of £180'; 9 Mar 1970 Memo from County Architect to Chief Education Officer; 'The cost of installing an infra-red heater in the Groundsman Store will be £18'; 10 Feb 1970 Reply; 'I should be grateful if you would make arrangements for the installation of an infra-red heater in the Groundsman's Store, providing this is suitable to use in a building where petrol vapours are present'; 13 Feb 1970 Memo from County Architect to Chief Education Officer; 'My Area Surveyor has inspected the site for an Animal House in company with Mr Fone, the Head Teacher and the Rural Studies Teacher, Mr Sargeant, when a position for the new base was agreed. This was on the North side of the existing Rural Studies Building. The base should consist of 4" hardcore with 4" concrete base laid to falls and a centre channel, which should be connected to the sewer by means of a catch pit. The concrete base to have metal tubes for alternatives in the animal pens. The estimated cost is £305 made up as follows: Connection to sewer - £40; Concrete Base - £130; Electrical Points - £45; Metal barriers for Pens - £90'; 9 Mar 1970 Letter from D Fone, Headmaster, to Chief Education Officer (attention Mr Marsh); 'My Rural Studies Master Mr Jones and your colleague, Mr Sargeant, have revised this plan of the concrete foundation and base for the animal house which it is hoped to have for this school. We are now at the stage, I feel, when this plan could be handed to the contractor so that work can commence on the base as soon as possible. I forward the plan to you and hope that you will contact a contractor for the work. I have now ordered the animal house from the suppliers and I expect them to be delivering to the school in approximately 2 to 3 weeks time. Naturally, I hope that the base will be ready by that time so that the house can be erected'; 17 Apr 1970 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I shall be grateful if you will make arrangements for the provision of a base for the animal house as soon as possible. The estimated cost of £305 is to be charged to the School's Loan Account'; 13 May 1970 tLetter from D Fone, Headmaster, to Mr H Potts; 'The plaster up the stairs in the 1961 block, despite a number of attempts to patch it, is in a very poor state of repair. In places you can see wide cracks between the plaster and brickwork behind and it is only a matter of time before much of it falls away from the wall. I should imagine that large areas need breaking off and replastering, and I should be grateful if you could ask a contractor to do this work as soon as possible'; 6 Mar 1970 Letter from Clerk of the County Council to Mr Farmbrough, Solicitor, George Wimpey & Co Ltd, London W6; 'I refer to your two telephone calls to Mr du Sautoy on 23 Apr and 1 May 1970 concerning the boundary dispute at Downside School, Dunstable. I confirm that I consider that the conveyance from Dunstable Corporation to my Council dated 10 Jan 1958 validly transferred to my Council the land at present in dispute. I shall of course advise my Council to that effect. In my opinion therefore Dunstable Corporation has conveyed the strip of land twice. I understand from your first phone call that you are not prepared to accept the compromise discussed at the site meeting. On the other hand, I am concerned that the school has lost a hedge which provided a valuable windbreak for the playing field. I must emphasise also that any compromise reached by us must be approved by the District Valuer. In the meantime, while I consider my position, I shall be sending out a duplicated letter to each intending purchaser of the plots affected. I enclose a copy for your information'; 4 May 1970 Duplicated letter; 'Plot - Down View Estate; Your search in the Local Land Charges Register has been carried out and is returned herewith. I feel that I must point out that a strip of land on the south eastern boundary of the above plot is at present the subject of a boundary dispute between my Council and Messrs George Wimpey & Co Ltd, the Estate Developers. I am satisfied that land acquired to the south for the adjoining school was validly conveyed to my Council up to the centre line of the hedge shown on the estate layout plan prepared by Messrs Wimpey, and that furthermore, the present development carried out by them is a trespass on land owned by my Council'. Letter from V Jaynes, Headmaster, Highfields CP School, Dunstable, to County Architect; 'I sent in a report on 3 Jun that a concrete fencing post between the school playground [and] the back of a house in Poynters Road was broken and in danger of falling. As I have heard no more in this matter, and I feel it needs urgent attention, I will be pleased if you will have it attended to as soon as possible'; 23 Jun 1970 Memo from J W Wilson, Area Building Surveyor, to County Architect; 'I called at Northfields School yesterday evening following a telephone message that concrete had fallen off the 3 storey block. My findings were that the north wall of this block which comprises a RC? frame with exposed stone panels and rendered surrounds on the frame and columns, had lost a very large piece of this rendering which is about 1" thick from the top of this wall, and it is obvious that the adjoining rendering is loose and from a crack down the NW corner there is a bulge in the rendering to beam and [?]. Owing to the danger of this material falling I have issued instructions to fence off the area around this wall. To carry out a closer inspection it will be necessary to have a scaffold erected, but as the school breaks up for the summer holidays a week from today, and Mr Potts will be returning from his holiday; will you inform me if you wish me to proceed any further'; 10 Jul 1970 3 x BM2 Forms: The following requires attention: 1) Gymnasium Repairs; Girls showers and changing rooms - occasional shower tile loose; floor tiles in immediate vicinity of showers and toilets are lifting; P.E. Staff changing room (Mens) - tiled surround to shower footbath requires new tiles; External door fittings - one door retaining bar missing (main entrance); Internal door fittings - two door retaining bars missing (internal double doors); 2) Gymnasium: 14 large roof panels to be replaced; 16 small roof panels to be replaced; 9 fluorescent tubes to be changed [crossed out]; large crack in gym and wall is still widening; door locks from equipment bay to swimming pool (two) require easing - possibly bent lock lever!; small areas (wall corners) in equipment bay require replastering; Boys showers and changing rooms: large area of tiles to be replaced and walls to be replastered; one light cover to be replaced [crossed out]; one mirror to be replaced 12" x 12"; floor tiles in immediate vicinity of showers, wash basins and urinal stall are lifting; sliding door to toilet requires re-hanging; 3) One large window in the Dining Hall; One top window in Room 20; the wooden banister on the stone staircase leading to the old staffrooms (Rooms 11 & 12). The larger missing banister is in the cupboard in Room 12, but the smaller piece will need replacing; The door of the P.E. Mistress's changing room is not closing and locking properly (we have had a lot of trouble with the sliding door and the P.E. Mistress would like a new hinged door fitted in its place; 22 Jul 1970 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'Kindly note that the school has acquired a new kiln. It is approximately the same size as the existing one and will be sited in Room A2. I have asked the Fire Prevention Officer to inspect the proposed site and I shall be grateful if you will look into this matter and let me have an estimate of the cost of installing the kiln complete with the necessary electrical wiring as soon as possible'; 14 Oct 1970 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I understand from the Headmaster that Falks who own the land immediately behind the school are selling it. Whether this is the land which was on the market some six or eight years ago I do not know. Certainly your Mr Pyne will recall investigating the prospects of extending the playing field for Northfields School when it was envisaged as being a secondary modern school. Its deficiencies as an Upper School are therefore all the more obvious and it is certainly worth looking into the possibility of four winter pitches if practical areas are available'; 30 Dec 1970 Letter from County Architect to Connod Phoenix & Co, Surveyors, London EC4; 'I understand that you are the agents instructed to sell the property owned by Messrs Falks and fronting on to the Watling Street, Dunstable. The County Council may be interested in the purchase in order to add to the Northfields School playing field. Would you therefore kindly send me any particulars you may have. The enclosed plan [OS Extract] shows the existing school site edged red and what I believe to be your client's land edged green'; 11 Jan 1971 Memo from County Architect to Chief Education Officer; 'Further to the meeting held in my office on 27 Jan when Mr Rallison and Mr Caen raised queries regarding the playing field requirements for the Queen Eleanor/Kingsbury School and Northfields School, and asked if we could, as a matter of urgency, give them an indication of the acreages that we would require. I have now looked at these two sites in detail and my comments are as follows: 1) Queen Elizabeth/Kingsbury: If these schools combine to become a 1100 pupil upper school then the playing field area is only one half an acre short of DES regulation requirement. The configuration of the land, however, does mean that you are not able to get the number of pitches on it that you would have were it a relatively flat area of land. There would seem to be two alternatives, the first to acquire additional land for laying down additional grass winter pitches, alternatively, to lay down an all weather pitch on the existing site. In my view it is probable that the second of these alternatives would be the cheapest as an all weather pitch could be laid down for something like £10,000, whereas the cost of acquiring land in Dunstable is likely to be at least that per acre. I have told Mr Rallison that in my opinion the most that we would require would be something like two to three winter pitches if land at a cheap enough price could be acquired and that our alternative would be to invest in an all weather pitch; 2) Northfields School: When Northfield School is developed to an 1100 pupil upper school it will be deficient in playing field area by approximately seven acres. This is an estimate at this stage as until I have prepared a scheme for the ultimate development of the school buildings, I do not know precisely how much land will remain on the existing site for playing field purposes. I have informed Mr Rallison that we will probably require additional playing field land amounting to seven acres, but that this will be confirmed at a later date'; 29 Jan 1971 Memo from T Wall to K W Banks (both Architect's Department); 'With reference to our conversation on 3 May 1971, I would be glad if you will carry out a study in respect of the boiler house at Northfields School with a view to seeing whether or not it can take any or all of the extension proposed in raising this School from a four form entry Secondary Modern School up to an 1100 place Upper School. For your information below are the floor areas in respect of the existing and proposed accommodation: 1) The teaching area of the existing building is 31,258 sq ft. (The gross area can be obtained from the Admin File SB16); 2) The first extension namely from a 600 place Secondary School up to a 900 place Upper School is a teaching area of 45,270 sq ft; 3) The teaching area for the 1100 place Upper School is 54,150 sq ft. If you use the current ratio in respect of the new accommodation of approximately 60% teaching to 40% ancillary, this will give you a guide to assessing the existing capabilities of the boiler house. At present we are carrying out design studies and it would be helpful if you could give us some guidelines in respect of your requirements as soon as possible'; 5 May 1971 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'At the recent meeting of the Governors of the school, mention was made of the inadequate storage facilities for fuel oil. The Governors requested that when extensions to the school are built consideration should be given to the provision of an additional oil storage tank. I understand that it is possible that the additional buildings will need gas under the new policy and I should be pleased to receive your comments on this point'; 3 May 1971 Letter from County Architect to A W Cook, Managing Director, Waterlow & Sons Ltd; 'With reference to your recent telephone conversation with my Estates Officer, Mr Giddings, I confirm that the Local Education Authority may be interested in purchasing your playing field in High Street North. To enable the Chief Education Officer to consider the matter further, I would be grateful if you could let me have any further details as to the area of land involved, interest being sold, details of tenancies etc., and price required'; 4 Jun 1971 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'With reference to your memo of 2 Jun [not here], I have not made a personal inspection of the land you mention, but I have little doubt that Waterlows Sports ground would make an admirable addition to the Northfields School. I think however that we must be prepared to find that the Committee may have second thoughts about its acquisition when they have a better idea of the price which the District Valuer puts on it'; 23 Jun 1971 Further memo; 'I understand that at the recent meeting of the Governing Body of Northfields School there was some discussion regarding the playing field deficiency. It was resolved that the Authority should be requested to acquire part of the Waterlow playing field or acquire land from the Cement Marketing Company. I pass this on for information only as I know this matter is already receiving your attention'; 6 Jul 1971 Letter from County Architect to A W Cook, Managing Director, Waterlow & Sons Ltd; 'I understand some months ago your Company were actively considering disposing of the playing field in High Street North. The Local Education Authority is interested in purchasing this land and I should be glad to know if the property is available for sale and whether you would be prepared to sell it to the County Council'; 7 Dec 1971 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I have received a request from the Headmaster for the installation to take place of the new Pottery Kiln which arrived at the school sometime ago. I should be grateful if you would kindly arrange for this to be carried out as soon as possible'; 16 Jul 1971 Letter from Headmaster to Chief Education Officer; 'The two large metalwork machines ordered on the Loan Account have been delivered to the school and have been secured to the floor of the metalwork room. I should be grateful if you would arange for the Engineers Department (Mr Payne) to fix these machines to the electrical system within the metalwork room. It would be appreciated if this could be done as quickly as possible as we wish to use these machines for some of our examination work'; 20 Oct 1971 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I should be grateful if you would kindly arrange for the work to be carried out as soon as possible, with the cost being charged to the Secondary Schools Contingency Fund 1971/72. I should be grateful if you would kindly let me have a note of the cost as soon as possible'; 24 Nov 1971 Further memo; 'I write to enquire as to whether you are yet in a position to let me have a note of the cost of installation'; 30 Dec 1971 Letter from Headmaster to Chief Education Officer; 'The switch on the old pottery kiln in room A2 appears to be faulty. I should be pleased if you would direct somebody to put this right'; 30 Nov 1971 Letter from A F Munnings, Headmaster, Heathfield County Primary School, to Chief Education Officer; 'Now that milk is not supplied to the juniors it is more important than ever before that drinking water be available throughout the day. Drinking fountains were installed in the toilets before I came to the school in 1965. During the past six years they have not worked in a satisfactory manner for any length of time although Garretts of Luton have worked on them on several occasions. At the present time two of the four fountains provide a non-stop stream of water but the others are not working at all. I am informed that replacement taps are required but those for our particular model are no longer made. Whilst appreciating that new fountains are expensive, I feel that we have an obligation to provide drinking water for the children and, rather than spend more money on repairs which are not satisfactorily carried out, it might prove cheaper in the long run to pay for a new installation. Incidentally, the water from the wash basins comes from a storage tank and is NOT suitable for drinking purposes. Any help you can give in obtaining a re4liable supply of fresh drinking water will be gratefully received'; 28 Sep 1971 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I shall be grateful if you will kindly investigate the situation and let me have a note of your comments together with the estimated cost involved as soon as possible'; 30 Sep 1971 Further memo; 'I write to enquire as to whether you are yet in a position to let me have a reply'; 3 Nov 1971 [pen note: A new drinking fountain supplied and fitted. The water supplies to the old and new fountains comes direct off the mains] Form BM2: The following requires attention: 'The shower in P.E. Mistress' Changing Room is leaking badly. Water running through floor onto staircase below; Leaking roof in stores near girls entrance of 1936 block has now extended so that rainwater is running through the same roof extension into girls cloakroom; 3 broken windows'; 21 Jan 1972 Specification of Work to be Done and Materials to be Supplied and Used for Quarry Floors at Northfields SM School - Boys Changing Room; Removal of existing Marley type floor tiles, provision of channel drain, and the laying of ribbed red quarries to Boys Changing Room, Toilet, Urinal and Entrance to steps, external door and double doors to Gym'; Dec 1971 Marlow Ltd, Dunstable, were successful with their tender for the above [amount not stated, other tenderers not mentioned] 16 Mar 1972 Tenders invited for Interior Decoration from S J Farrow Ltd, Dunstable; Luton Building Co Ltd; V Bonham & Sons Ltd, Dunstable; C W Collar, Dunstable; 7 Jun 1972 Tenders invited for Resurfacing of Playground at Priory SM School, Dunstable, from Home Counties Surfacing Ltd, Hertford; R E Crawley Ltd, Wellingborough; Roads Reconstruction (Contracting) Ltd, Rushden; 16 Jun 1972 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'The Headmaster has requested the provision of an additional disposal incinerator in the girls' changing room. I should be grateful if you would let me have an estimate of cost on this item'; 28 Sep 1972 Letter from Headmaster to Chief Education Officer; 'I regret to have to inform you that the School grounds were broken into late last night and damage was caused to the Rural Science Garden area and to a number of the Goal Posts on the Sports Field. The local Police have been informed, but I am afraid that they give the impression that we shall be extremely lucky to find the culprits. This is the 3rd break-in since June this year. Following a telephone conversation with your colleague Mr Jennison, I wish to place an immediate order for: 4 Soccer Uprights; 2 Soccer Cross Bars; 4 Lacrosse Uprights; 1 Set of Soccer Goal Nets; all of which were damaged during the attack. The damage to the Rural Science area has largely been restored. I should be pleased to pass any further information to any sub-committee of the Authority who may be meeting to consider security in and around School buildings'; 22 Sep 1972 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I refer to your memo of 20 Sep 1972 concerning the installation of 8 C.F.G. Carrell Booths at the school. These booths have now been delivered and I should be grateful if you would arrange for the electricity supply to be connected, costs to be charged to the Secondary Schools Contingency Fund 1972/73; 26 Oct 1972 Letter from Samuel J Caen, Borough Engineer & Surveyor, Dunstable, to County Architect; 'At a recent meeting of my Housing Committee, the improvements to the amenities etc., of Northfields Estate were considered and amongst the items discussed was the possibility of making the central portion of the Estate a one-way system in a clockwise direction. This raised the question of the school access and I was asked to contact you to ascertain whether it might be possible for this to be closed. I enclose [my] Drawing No. 3201/S2 [1:1250] illustrating the proposed system. I understand that the majority of the traffic for the school now goes direct from Houghton Road in which case the access off the Estate may not now be entirely necessary. Perhaps you would let me know as soon as possible your observations on this proposal'; 20 Nov 1972 Reply; 'I have now had an opportunity of considering the effect a possible one-way system on your estate would have on the school access. The Northfields access forms the main car park entrance and is also the service entrance to the three storey boiler house and if this was closed there would be insufficient room for vehicles coming off Houghton Road to go round the School buildings to reach the Northfields Estate side. Before giving a final decision on your request I have asked the Chief Education Officer for his comments and as soon as these are received I will let you know'; 18 Dec 1972 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I have to refer to your memo of 18 Dec 1972 regarding the possible introduction of a one way system on the Northfields Estate. I have consulted the Headmaster of Northfields School over this suggestion and if such a system were introduced, it would mean most vehicles delivering to the school, including oil tankers, would have to go round the estate giving a situation potentially more hazardous than the present arrangement. The plan also indicated a children's play area on a small part of the Northfield School site. As you know, we are endeavouring to increase the playing field area up to the standards for an 1100 place Upper School and I could not support any proposal to give up any of our existing land in this area. The Headmaster did comment that a number of houses in Northfields have recently been having major extensions to their houses and this has resulted in building materials being on the roadside, so that passage through the estate has not been easy for some time but this, of course, is only a temporary situation'; 18 Jan 1973 Letter from County Architect to Mr S J Caen, Borough Engineer & Surveyor, Dunstable; Repeats memo above and concludes; 'I regret therefore that I could not recommend my Authority to give up their access to the school from the Northfields Estate'; 23 Jan 1973 Form BM2 (2 pages); The following requires attention: 1) Length of rotten timber 150" x 4 1/2" x 1" supporting guttering and drainpipe outside boys toilet needs urgently replacing; 2) Outside door to Senior Common Room - rotten timber in lower section needs urgent attention; 3) Door spring on girls' toilets near Art Room needs repair to close the door; 4) Hydraulic door returns - general check required to test efficiency; 5) New hinges required to support mirrors in Room 21; 6) Metal window catches (room 18 etc.,) need replacing to enable lower section of window to be closed; 7) Several small patches of plaster damage in Rooms 6 & 7; 8) Venetian blinds need checking and repairing; 9) Section of plasterboard damaged - top of stairs outside Room 12'; 15 Dec 1972 Form BM2 (2 pages); The following requires attention: Gymnasium Block: Boys' Changing Rooms: 1) wall mirror 12" x 12" needs replacing [crossed out]; 2) Repairs to areas of plaster, especially in boys' toilet; 3) Toilet door requires re-fixing; 4) Three light covers need replacing [crossed out]; 5) Walls require redecorating [crossed out]; 6) Door surround requires consolidation [crossed out]; 7) One section of seat in need of repair. Main Hall: 1) Replacement roof panels; 2) Replace 6 faulty fluorescent tubes [crossed out]; 3) Re-attach badminton post socket cover. Entrance and Equipment Bay: 1) Small areas require re-plastering. Girls' Changing Rooms: 1) 5 broken tiles, girls' showers; 2) 1 Broken filter cover, girls' showers; 3) Loose Marley tiles under hand basin; 4) Loose benches; 5) Require quarry tiles on floor [crossed out]; 18 Dec 1972 Form BM2; The following requires attention; '1) Library ceiling panels need re-fixing; 2) Room 2 - cracks in ceiling over fluorescent light allows water to come in; 3) Window panes - Girls' toilet: 28 1/2" x 11 1/2", Room 12: 26" x 11 1/4", Room 14: 59 1/2" x 6", Deputy Head's Office: 46" x 24"; 4) Doors of Room 12, Common Room, Dining Room (near Art Room) need repairs; 5) Boys' (Art Room) Toilet - pipes from cistern to stall & under wash basin; 6) Light shades and spring clips - Boys changing room (3), Boys cloakroom (1); 7) Gymnasium: a) large area of white tiles in boys shower lifting from plaster; b) entrance door to boys' changing room needs plaster around it; c) area of wall needs replastering near changing room toilet; d) mirror 12" x 12" to be replaced in changing room; e) curtain rings in showers; 8) Plaster (Room 14) needed inside entrance door'; 30 Mar 1973 Letter from H C D Crossley, Chief Accountant, Lee Valley Water Company, Hatfield; 'The meter recording the water supply at Northfields School has ceased registering and it was changed on 17 Jan 1973. It is necessary to estimate the consumption from 31 Dec 1972 to 17 Jan 1973 and it is proposed that this shall be based on the consumption through the new meter of 859 thousand gallons used in the period 18 Jan 1973 to 2 Apr 1973. The next account sent to you will show, therefore, the estimated consumption of 194 thousand gallons for the earlier period and the actual consumption through the new meter. Will you please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused by the breakdown of the meter'; 1 May 1973 Reply from County Architect; 'I refer to your letter dated 1 May 1973 and the account for Northfields School dated 15 Jun 1973 for the sum of £202.18. Whilst I agree with your method of calculating estimated consumption from 31 Dec 1972 to 17 Jan 1973, I do not agree with the resultant account. The period 18 Jan 1973 to 2 Apr 1973 is during a full school term and the consumption for that period is 859,000 gallons, giving a daily consumption of 12,098 gallons. The school were on holiday during the estimated period and did not return until the morning of 10 Jan 1973. Therefore, the number of days for full consumption of water is seven, giving an estimated consumption of 85,000 gallons. However, the preparations for the return to the school commenced a few days early and I have included 15,000 gallons for this, making the estimated consumption 100,000 gallons and not as shown 194,000 gallons. The total cost, therefore, for this period as shown on the account should be as follows: 31/12 - 17/01 100,000 gallons; 17/01 - 02/04 859,000 gallons; total consumption 959,000 gallons. 959,000 gallons @ 19.2p per 1000 gallons = £184.13. I enclose your account for this period and trust that an amended account will follow in due course'; 25 Jun 1973 Reply; 'Thank you for your letter of 25 Jun regarding the estimate of metered water consumption covering the period 31 Dec 1972 to 31 Jan 1973. I note that during part of this time the School was closed for holidays but anticipate that some water must have been used for cleaning and other purposes. When writing my letter of 1 May 1973, the total consumption of 1053 thousand gallons was compared with the quantity charged in the three preceding years. For the period ended 31 Mar 1972, the recorded use was 1067 thousand gallons. The preceding year ended 31 Mar 1971 showed a use of 1089 thousand gallons and in the year ended 31 Mar 1970 the recorded use was 1264 thousand gallons. Bearing these consumptions in mind I feel that it is reasonable to assume the total usage during the quarter ended 2 Apr 1973 as 1053 thousand gallons and I am returning the account for further consideration'; 19 Jul 1973 Letter from D Fone, Headmaster, to Chief Education Officer; 'I have to report that the school premises were broken into on the night of 2/3 May. The thief or thieves broke into several rooms usually by removing the small louvre window panes. A tall metal filing cabinet was smashed and the drink vending machine was forced open. Apart from this the situation was quickly restored. Dunstable Police have visited the school and carried out their inspection. I should be pleased if the Insurance Company could be approached to supply a new filing cabinet for the Careers Master. It would appear that the intruders were looking for money but I am pleased to say that they did not find any since it is not our practice to leave money on the premises'; 4 May 1973 Further letter; 'Thank you for the copy of the Fire Prevention Officer's Report relating to this school. I notice that the major part of the report has already been crossed out by you. I confirm that we are arranging for the straw bales to be removed and covered with polythene sheeting as soon as we receive the sheeting. The key to the Rural Science "back door" which gives exit through the greenhouse will be hung up as required in the greenhouse but I should like to suggest that the doors giving exit from the Metalwork, Woodwork and Technical Drawing rooms should be fitted with the push bar apparatus similar to the doors in the main assembly hall. I am sure that you will appreciate that there are problems in a school in keeping everything unlocked or in hanging keys up and I do feel that push bar doors opened only from the inside would be a much better solution in the boys technical area. I should be pleased to have your observations'; 8 May 1973 Form BM2; The following requires attention; 'Following a fire in the Rural Science area on the night of 22/23 May, (i) The ceiling of the covered store area and the electrical work needs attention; (ii) Several of the store doors and classroom door have badly blistered and need repainting'; 24 May 1973 Memo from County Architect to Chief Education Officer; 'I have received a report from an Area Building Surveyor that the track for climbing ropes at Northfield Upper School became unfixed and crashed to the floor. The track has now been refixed, but it occurs to me that gym equipment generally probably needs to be regularly inspected and I wonder whether you have any standing arrangement with specialist firms for this equipment to be maintained in a safe condition. As you will appreciate, this specialist equipment has many moving parts and specialist fixings which would not be subject to normal building maintenance'; 7 Aug 1973 Detailed specification of work to be done and materials to be supplied and used for Quarry Floors - Girls Changing Rooms; 'Removal of existing Marley type floor tiles, and the laying of red quarries to Girls Changing Rooms and Toilet. NOT SHOWERS; Provide 6" x 6" x 1/2" red quarry tiles bedded in existing concrete floor in cement and sand 1:6. Quarries to be laid to fall towards showers with 1/8" joint between and full bond, and joints straight. On completion of laying grout in all joints and leave perfectly clean on completion'; Dec 1973 Tenders invited from MacWilliam Surface Coatings Ltd, Cambridge; S J Farrow, Dunstable; Luton Building Co Ltd; 8 Jan 1974 Tender from MacWilliam Surface Coatings Ltd was successful; [amount not stated]; 29 Jan 1974 Letter from Mrs E M Gray to Mr Millard; 'With reference to our conversation of today I enclose herewith a photostat copy of the bill my husband paid for double glazing at the Caretaker's bungalow [£85, dated 27 Feb 1971]. I would be grateful if you could investigate the possibility of any reimbursement if it is left. Would you please address any further correspondence to 25b Mountview Avenue, Dunstable'; 20 Feb 1974 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'As you may know, Mr J Gray, the caretaker of Northfields School, died in Nov 1973 and his widow, Mrs E M Gray is in the process of vacating the bungalow. I have attached a copy of a letter which has been received from Mrs Gray concerning double glazing which has been installed in the bungalow and upon which I should be grateful for your comments'; 26 Feb 1974 Memo from Clerk of the County Council to County Architect; 'Will you please note that Mrs E M Gray, the widow of the caretaker of Northfields School has now vacated, on 23 Feb, the caretaker's bungalow. I should therefore be glad if your Area Building Surveyor could arrange to carry out an inspection of the premises as soon as possible'; 7 Mar 1974 Memo from County Architect to Chief Education Officer; 'With reference to your memo concerning part reimbursement of monies paid out in respect of double glazing installed in the Caretaker's bungalow in 1971, my Chief Building Surveyor has placed a residual value of £25 upon the fixtures taking into account the amount paid out for the supply and installation, age and possible use to the Council in the future. If you are disposed to make an ex-gratia payment to Mrs Gray, perhaps you would contact the Clerk to the Council so that he may advise you whether any such payment would be in accordance with the conditions of the late Mr Gray's Tenancy Agreement'; 25 Mar 1974 Form BM2; The following requires attention; 'Two lengths of 30 ft metal post and wire fencing on path through quarry need replacing (some new posts required)'; 8 May 1974 Tenders invited for Playground Resurfacing from R E Crawley Ltd, Wellingborough; Roads Reconstruction (Contracting) Ltd, Hertford; Associated Asphalt Ltd, Kempston; 3 Jul 1974 Letter from D Fone, Headmaster, to Chief Education Officer; 'The caretaker has an increasingly difficult problem in the caretaker's bungalow on the school site. 1) Although the bungalow is only nine to ten years old it suffers badly from rising damp and excessive condensation. The situation appears to be deteriorating and I should like you to consider the installation of central heating in the bungalow to help combat these problems. 2) A contractor painted the ceilings of the bedrooms just before the new caretaker, Mr Currington, moved in during early Autumn. The bedroom walls are in urgent need of decoration and I should be pleased if you would arrange for this work to be carried out. 3) The kitchen window which faces the school building is frequently steamed up so that the caretaker does not have clear visibility. This problem would be overcome by an extractor fan on the kitchen window. Perhaps your officers would give this serious consideration. I should like to add that I am very pleased with the recent caretaker appointment made and that we are getting good service with our caretaker. I hope that you will help by making his living conditions as agreeable as possible'; 19 Nov 1974 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I should be grateful if your Area Building Surveyor can investigate these complaints as I understand that such premises are normally decorated to a reasonable standard before the new tenants move into them'; 26 Nov 1974 Memo from County Architect to Chief Education Officer; 'I would refer to your previous memos with regard to the central heating of the caretaker's bungalow. As you are fully aware, the properties which are to be centrally heated are selected by members of your own Department and as this project was not included in the 1974/75 list, nor is it included in the 1975/76 list, I was a little surprised to find from you yet a further communication on this subject. You would appear to have only one solution to this problem and that is to delete from the 1976 list one of the properties already selected and to include the Northfields bungalow in its place'; 17 Feb 1975 Letter from Headmaster to Chief Education Officer; 'You may recall that about a year ago I was in correspondence and telephone communication with your department concerning the installation of central heating in the caretaker's bungalow. I appreciate that there will be many people asking for similar improvements to their property but I should like again to emphasise the severity of this case. Areas of this bungalow are permanently damp, rotting and smelling, and there are certain wardrobes and cupboards where it is simply not possible to leave items of clothing etc., for any length of time. I do hope that you will give your consideration to such an improvement this year and that you may consider the installation of an extractor fan in the kitchen to be worthwhile also'; 10 Mar 1976 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'Your reply has now been received but you may wish to inspect the premises while these conditions exist'; 2 Apr 1976 Note from Deputy County Architect to Chief Building Surveyor; 'Cavity fill would help reduce condensation - I would recommend this action, providing there are no extreme exposure circumstances'; 7 Apr 1976 Memo from H K Curtis to County Architect; 'Last winter we had repeated calls for help because of lack of heat in the caretaker's bungalow and we traced it to the solid fuel back boiler and lack of circulation on the radiator system. The Solid Fuel Advisory Service confirmed this with a report that the back boiler should be replaced. A quote for a gas back boiler was £275.58 dated 3 Dec 1976. I decided to wait to see if the Education Department would put this house on the list for heating 1977/78 but this was not done. I therefore asked for a quote for replacing like for like. This came in at £243.60 dated 8 Aug 1977. As the difference was small I gave the instruction to proceed with gas. An order was placed 12 Sep 1977 and the work done shortly after that'; 11 Oct 1977 Letter from D Fone, Headmaster, to Mr H Potts, Dunstable; 'With the opening of the Practical Design Block I now find that the blackboard in T1 (Technical Drawing Room of the old Technical block) is badly positioned in relation to children moving towards the new teaching block. I should like to re-position the blackboard on another wall in that room and to be able to turn the desks round to avoid this distraction. My Head of Department, Technical Studies, would like to make a small display cabinet and to fix it permanently in the entrance to the Technical Block. I should be pleased to have your observations'; 12 Dec 1974 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'Thank you for your memo dated 24 Dec received 30 Dec 1974 concerning verbal requests from the Headmaster for coat pegs and a low brick wall. Money can be made available from the loan account for a total of 80 pegs in the design/practical block to serve the Art/Craft/Engineering areas sited in the corridors. I am contacting the Headmaster for his permission to use the loan account for this purpose. I regret that there is no money available to provide a low brick wall adjacent to the path from the main entrance to the Design/Practical block'; 20 Jan 1975 Memo from K W Banks, Chief Mechanical & Electrical Engineer, to H Potts, Area Building Surveyor; 'We have, in the past, discussed at some length the question of you issuing orders for electrical work and I thought we had got it firmly agreed that you would not be doing this in future. However, your firm resolution seems to have departed you early in the New Year for I saw that on Jan 3 you sent an order to R Clark to check all the electrics in the Technical Block at Northfields School. Perhaps you would be good enough to give me a straightforward account as to why you thought it necessary to issue this order in this arbitrary manner and what exactly you understood the contractor would be doing in executing this order'; 11 Feb 1975 Tenders invited for Chain link fencing to playing field from Havering Fencing Co, Romford; T P Roche Ltd, Hemel Hempstead; Dunstable Fencing Co Ltd; Peerless Fencing Ltd, St Albans; [Tenders to be received by 30 Apr 1975] T P Roche Ltd were successful with their tender for £2,574.50; 17 May 1975 Drawing: Playing Field Layout and Drainage; scale 1:500; Mar 1973 Detailed specification of work to be done and materials to be supplied and used for Erecting of Chain Link Fence; Apr 1975 Letter from D Fone, Headmaster, to Chief Education Officer; 'We have a certain problem with delivery vehicles coming to the school along the drive leading off the Houghton Road. The car park at the end of this drive is very small and vehicles belonging to visitors are often so badly parked that dustmen and other delivery vehicles cannot get through to the kitchen area. The problem would be solved if you would paint white and yellow lines on this small car park to indicate where parking could take place. Yesterday the dustmen refused to collect and have not returned, and I do assure you that this problem is rather an urgent one'; 12 Dec 1975 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I shall be grateful if you will look into this matter as soon as possible and let me have your recommendations for improving the situation'; 30 Jan 1976 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'The Headmaster has requested permission to raise the level of the floor in the garage/project area (T5 of the Technical Block). The school has been given a quantity of material which they can use and this improvement would be advantageous to the movement of equipment and apparatus from room to room. I shall be pleased to receive your comments on this request as soon as possible'; 28 Jun 1976 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'Further to my memo of 5 Jun 1976 on the question of the conversion of a store room into a room to house a computer terminal. I write to advise you that I am now prepared to make available a sum from my contingency funds to enable the electrical work (the provision of a strip light and a power point) to proceed at this school so that the computer terminal may be used in this room. I have asked the Headmaster to undertake the remainder of this work as an educational project to be organised and financed by the school. He is hoping to make an early start on this aspect and I should be grateful, therefore, if you would arrange for the necessary electrical work to be completed as quickly as possible and satisfy yourself, outwardly, that the school's work meets your desired standards in terms of finish'; 12 Jul 1976 Letter from Headmaster to Mr P B Hopkinson, Southern Area Education Officer; 'I am concerned about the safety of fluorescent lighting in the equipment bay of the new Sports Hall. The ceiling of this bay is not very high and the fluorescent tubes have no protection whatsoever. Metal posts and other pieces of apparatus are continually being moved in the equipment bay and I am concerned that there is a danger of pupils being injured by flying glass in the event of a tube being broken. I should be grateful if you would consider urgently the question of a safety device over these tubes'; 13 Sep 1976 Memo from J Adams, Luton Office, to K Banks, Chief Electrical & Mechanical Engineer; 'This job was started on Thu 28 Oct in the half term holiday. Originally the job was to isolate the No. 1 cylinder, drain down, and remove the lid for inspection and cleaning. The first problem arose when the isolating gate valves would not hold, which meant draining down the whole of the hot water system. I then asked P & P Pipes (Contractors) to try and repair the gate valves which they were unable to do, so they installed 1 No. 3" gate valve in the hot draw off and 1 No. 2" gate valve to the secondary return. The lid was removed and the cylinder descaled. The time taken to carry out this work was 4 days. The second cylinder caused the same problems as the first, when both valves would not hold back water and had to be replaced. There were also problems with pipework above the cylinder, which dropped when the valve was disconnected. The time taken to carry out this part of the job was 2 1/2 days. Considering that the latter part of the work was carried out in school time, and this added further problems, the price in my opinion was justified. I also made several inspection visits while this work was in progress'; 9 Dec 1976 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'I have recently received a request from the Headmaster for the provision of a shot put circle for the playing field. My Physical Education Adviser has visited the site and generally agreed the positioning of this facility and I should be grateful if you would kindly let me know the estimated cost of providing a shot put circle which has to be bedded in concrete. If you require any further information on this provision, I should be grateful if you would kindly contact my Physical Education Adviser, Mrs M Thompson, at Kempston Manor'; 6 Oct 1976 Reply; 'The estimated cost of providing a concrete base for a shot put circle is approximately £50'; 20 Apr 1977 Reply; 'I should be grateful if you would proceed with the provision of concrete bases for a shot put circle and a discus/hammer circle at Northfields Upper School. I understand that the estimated cost of providing a concrete base for a shot put circle only is £50. These projects will be financed from the Contingency Fund'; 7 Jul 1977 Tenders invited for External Decorations and Repairs from A W R Pickersgill, Bow Brickhill; Mr J Sapsworth, Luton; A P Brett, Luton; Industrial Painting Consultants, Dunstable; D J Horne, Eaton Bray; 15 Jul 1977 Tenders invited for Replacement of Metal Windows from Early Brothers, Luton; P M Specialist Builders, Luton; A W Oakley, Luton; A G Peck, Luton; W P Caves, Flitwick; Barratt Developments Ltd, Barton-le-Clay; Bletchley Construction Ltd, Milton Keynes; 26 Aug 1977 Detailed specification of work to be done and materials to be supplied and used for Replacement of Metal Windows; Aug 1977 Tender from Early Brothers for £9,561.80 was successful; 22 Sep 1977 Memo from D P Rolt to K W Banks; 'I refer to a recent survey of laboratory electrical installations at Northfields Upper School. As you know, during the visit I had reason to condemn and strongly recommend the disconnection of 2 No. circuits in laboratory 23 in the interests of safety. The installation in question, consisted of 8 No. 13 Amp switched socket outlets wired in flexible cable routed across floors, clipped to door frames, benches etc., and generally installed in a dangerous fashion. The "installer" I understand, was a member of the teaching staff acting with the full approval of the Headmaster. I am now currently engaged on URGENTLY replacing this "hazard" with a standard protected socket outlet installation at a cost of approximately £500. From this exercise it would appear that the use of an "amateur" electrician has its merits, particularly when one considers that condemnation of his efforts can be used as a lever to secure a facility, that perhaps had previously been denied. To combat this problem and also as a "good housekeeping" reminder, may I suggest that all staff in County establishments are again strongly warned of the dangers of carrying out unauthorised extensions and modifications to electrical installations'; 30 Jan 1978 Memo from County Architect to Chief Education Officer (Buildings); 'As a result of the investigations carried out in order to implement part of Safety and Health and Work Special Programmes, an examination of the Science Laboratory at Northfields Upper showed that it contained an unauthorised installation of electrical sockets and which were considered by my colleagues to be dangerous. This matter was immediately brought to the Head of the Science Department and the Headmaster's attention with the instruction that it must be stripped out immediately. This caused a little furore and I was approached by the Chairman of the Governors who I must say accepted the point entirely to the extent that if we said it was dangerous then he was prepared to back us all the way to insist that it be removed but did obviously make the request that we would replace it with a proper installation as soon as possible and this we have undertaken to do. I write however not so much as to tell you the above but to point out that the Authority cannot tolerate this type of amateurism which could have serious consequences and for which the Authority and not the individual who carried out the work could be held at least partially responsible if not responsible in full and could I therefore ask that in some future bulletin sent to Schools you put within it some note to the effect that well intentioned amateur work no matter how helpful in overcoming a deficiency in school provision or in providing an additional facility have responsibilities attached which can have extremely serious consequences and that whilst the Authority may not necessarily have the money to execute the work immediately on the school's behalf, we would always be pleased to give advice to any school that wished to carry out work of this nature as to contracting personnel who in our opinion would be able to carry out the work satisfactorily and adequately but that we cannot under any circumstances permit work to be carried out by unauthorised personnel'; 6 Feb 1978 Letter from Roche Products Ltd, High Street North, Dunstable, to Bedfordshire Education Authority; 'We would like to draw your attention to the unsatisfactory state of the all-weather football pitch in the playing fields behind our offices and warehouse. When the wind blows from that direction it blows clouds of dust into our warehouse, with the possible contamination of our materials, and strong winds blow the dust across the A5, causing a possible driving hazard. We would appreciate hearing from you as to what you propose doing to renovate the state of this football area'; 21 Feb 1978 Memo from Chief Education Officer to County Architect; 'This is a Playrite pitch of the type which has formed the topic of correspondence between us in the past. It is suggested that the only treatment that can be given is that it should be top dressed with one inch of redgra at an approximate cost of £1,500. You will recall that this was the pitch which caused problems during the drought with regard to watering and was the basis of a suggestion that all pitches should in future be provided with water facilities, so that self travelling sprinklers could be attached'; 1 Mar 1978 Memo from Deputy County Architect to P Moore [copied to A C BIgg, Chief Building Surveyor]; 'I wonder if there is a case to claim against Playrite as a latent defect in their material. A figure of £1,500 is quoted for a 1" top dressing of Redgra. Please could you confirm that this is a fair estimate and that an equal sum would be required to do the pitch at Brickhill Middle School. In the event of it not being treated as a latent defect, I should like to know whether there is a proper heading under which this remedial work could be put in hand. I feel this work should be put in hand before the onset of summer, which is clearly the difficult period'; 3 Mar 1978

Stored off site - 2 working days notice required to retrieve from storage. Please contact us.

item

DUNSTABLE, Northfields County Secondary Modern School, Downside County Primary Junior School, Highfields County Primary School, Heathfield County Primary School, Dunstable state schools