The pool closed in 2016 and had since been an empty, unused space, sealed off to students, but now the area is to be converted into a new canteen, social area and multi-functional classroom.
The extra space is welcomed by school principal Verona Tomlin, as its current communal areas across the canteens, halls and social areas are struggling to comfortably accommodate the number of pupils.
‘In November we’ve got the mocks, and the gym and the hall are going to be out. We’ve got no internal space for assemblies, so they’d have to go online, and it’s not the same as having everybody together as part of a community,’ she said.
Work began over this summer, and it has now been screeded over, with the pool now filled with permanent scaffolding. It is completely safe for people to walk on.
The newly renovated canteen will be for years 7 to 9, with the current one reserved for years 10 and 11. The new social area will be shared by years 7 and 8, with year 9 then able to have their own space in another area of the school.
In the middle section, the classroom has the potential to be used for music and drama performances with tiered seating.
Chris Tardif, managing director of Spaces CI, is sourcing secondhand furniture and overseeing the interior design of the area.
‘People enjoyed Covid in a way, because at home you don’t always sit at a desk to do your work. If you want to read a bit of some document, you go and sit on a nice comfy armchair or your sofa. That’s what we’re trying to create here,’ he said.
‘People work in different ways, and where you’re sat and how you’re sat changes the way you feel and the way you work. It’s creating little zones for everyone to feel comfortable.’
The areas will be able to be opened up or separated through the use of slatted walls, and will be decorated to recognise the school’s history as both the Grammar School and La Mare de Carteret High School.
Each area will gradually be completed in stages, with the first priority given to the canteen and social area. They are expected to be operational after October half-term, although the decor and extra classroom will not be completed until next year.
Les Varendes pupils currently use Les Beaucamps pool for their swimming lessons, and Mrs Tomlin said she was aware that some people were concerned about Les Varendes’ pool officially becoming permanently unavailable to students and the equality of access to swimming facilities for them.
She asserted that every child on the island has and would continue to have an equal length of time in a swimming pool.
‘Access to the curriculum is exactly the same. Yes, it’s important that children learn how to swim, but that doesn’t mean that we have to have a swimming pool.
‘It’s better for us to go over to Beaucamps because they’re going into a fantastic pool that’s under-used, so we are using an SSP resource that’s benefitting more children,’ she said.
‘What we get here instead is something that’s not just a PE resource that we’re then going to have to get externals in to use in order to keep it running. This resource can be used by every single member of this community.’
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