Yarm School: Yorkshire private school unveils plans for new classrooms for maths teaching

Yarm School’s proposals are being considered at the same time as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced plans for all students in England to study maths until the age of 18. The school applied for planning permission to Stockton Council last month.

It has asked to build a two-storey extension on its dining hall building, the main space where students gather at the 18-acre Friarage site. It is proposed to modernise the building and create two new upstairs classrooms along with improved dining and kitchen facilities.

The independent school says in a planning statement: “The proposed works would improve the quality and effectiveness of the existing dining hall and teaching accommodation and provide additional classrooms for maths teaching.” It says it is not intending to take on more pupils.

But it contends students currently have to wait a long time, some in cramped lobby spaces or outside the building, to sit down and eat. “The school has looked at various options including extending the lunch time period,” says agent ELG Planning.

“However, this has a major impact on lesson times and continues to be problematic on a number of fronts. Even in winter months, the school has a large number of pupils eating lunch on the outside benches due to the dining hall being full to capacity.

“Due to resulting queues and waiting times, pupils take longer to get through lunch and this has a knock-on effect for lunchtime clubs that operate in the school. There is therefore a clear need to improve the current provision.”

The school intends to expand the dining room and create “segregated areas for dining during exams times”. The reworked curved glazed building is described one with as a “high-quality finish”, including a “laser cut metal school logo”, which would not compete with the school’s grade II-listed buildings.

It has undergone major redevelopment including the award-winning Princess Alexandra Auditorium, a “state-of-the-art 750-seat performance venue” which opened in 2012 and a music school including a recording studio, drumming suite, class and tuition rooms, a 140-seat lecture theatre and a boat house.

The school’s planning statement says: “As a consequence of this substantial investment programme, in comparison, some of the other school buildings now appear somewhat dated in comparison to these architectural led additions. The intention with the current building is to repurpose for the growing demands of the school curriculum and to improve facilities for existing pupils.

“The proposals allow for an extended dining facilities which will enable the site to function more efficiently, particularly during exam periods whilst ensuring overall improved dining facilities for existing students as well as providing additional teaching space. It is not considered that the proposal will give rise to any undue adverse impacts in respect of overlooking, privacy, overbearing or loss of light to any neighbouring properties.”

It is proposed to remove two protected sycamore trees, one said to be in poor condition, and replacing them with “interesting new ornamental specimen trees” elsewhere.

The school says the nature and scale of the development is acceptable, the extended building will sit well in the site and will not harm the Yarm conservation area.