St Stephen’s Church School in Bath has launched ‘Go For 50!’ a fundraising campaign to raise £50,000 to renovate and refurbish the school hall.
As the only indoor space large enough to house the entire school, the hall is one of St Stephen’s most utilised and hardworking areas. It fulfils various purposes and undergoes several transformations in just one day – from a breakfast club venue to a dining hall, to a PE and games area and a space for baking or cookery lessons, as well as for Collective Worship and after school care.
In addition, it is used regularly as a performance or meeting space, not to mention vital for whole school and community events such as Christmas carol services and school fairs.
According to figures captured by St Stephen’s, the school hall is used approximately 3,850 times a week by its pupils, which over the course of an academic year is just under 150,000 times.
Headteacher Claire Taylor explained, “No doubt this is a beautiful space, with its high vaulted ceilings and oak floor, but it has had significant under investment over the years and is no longer meeting the needs of our school and our community.
“When it was first built, St Stephen’s was a much smaller school and it was unlikely the hall was used as frequently or for as many different activities as it is today. There are parts that are really tired and in urgent need of repair but more than that, we want to bring it up to date and make it into a space that not only the school can use effectively but somewhere our pupils, staff and families can gather together and be proud of.
“This is the right moment, we’ve got the drive and we’ve got the ambition to raise the funds to make this space an amazing multi-purpose environment for our school and our community.
“With your support, we can hopefully carry out a full refurbishment to include modern projector facilities, sound system, space efficient furniture, general decoration and upgraded flooring. All this will ensure we can carry on using the hall more efficiently and more effectively, and that the space continues to play an important role for many more years.”
What the children say about the school hall:
- “The school hall is where we come together.”
- “It’s the place where the school does lots of singing.”
- “It’s the place where the school feels like one family.”
Supported by its PTFA, St Stephen’s Primary Church School is kicking off its fundraising campaign with Grow50!, an exciting fundraising activity which the whole school can get involved in. Thanks to sponsors We Are Penelope, each child has been given a £5 note and can work individually or together to use their creativity and entrepreneurial skills to turn this £5 into £50!
If every class reaches their fundraising target, this will raise a massive £13,000 towards the refurbishment of the School Hall.
To find out more please visit https://youtu.be/ridHD20Oi00?si=GEqK0vbxEeUmJXM1