Lettings Policy
Christian values
The specific Christian Values of Love, Respect and Courage underpin, and are intrinsic to the ethos and belief of Saint James Church of England Primary School.
Our vision
At Saint James we accept challenges, take risks and work to make to make positive change in ourselves and our community.
Focusing on building resilience and compassionate relationships allows everyone to flourish.
Using our Christian values to guide us, we develop skills to navigate rough seas and transform our world.
Be strong and courageous and do it.
1 Chronicles 28:20
Introduction
The Governing Body regards the school buildings and grounds as a community asset and will make every reasonable effort to enable them to be used as much as possible. However, the overriding aim of the Governing Body is to support the school in providing the best possible education for its pupils and any lettings of the premises to outside organisations will be considered with this in mind.
The school's delegated budget (which is provided for the education of its pupils) will not be used to subsidise any lettings by community or commercial organisations. A charge will be levied to meet the additional costs incurred by the school in respect of any lettings of the premises. As a minimum, the actual cost to the school of any use of the premises by an outside organisation must be reimbursed to the school's budget.
Definition of a Letting
A letting may be defined as "any use of the school premises (buildings and grounds) by either a community group (such as a local music group or football team), or a commercial organisation (such as the local branch of 'Weight Watchers')". A letting must not interfere with the primary activity of the school, which is to provide a high standard of education for all its pupils.
Use of the premises for activities such as staff meetings, parents' meetings, Governing Body meetings and extracurricular activities of pupils supervised by school staff, fall within the corporate life of the school. Costs arising from these uses are therefore a legitimate charge against the school's delegated budget, however extra-curricular activities need to follow the procedures outlined in part 1 of the administrative process below.
Charges for a Letting
The Governing Body is responsible for setting charges for the letting of the school premises. A charge will be levied which covers the following:
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Cost of services (heating and lighting).
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Cost of staffing (security, caretaking and cleaning) - including "on-costs".
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Cost of administration.
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Cost of "wear and tear".
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Cost of use of school equipment (if applicable).
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Profit element (if appropriate).
Where there are multiple lettings taking place at the same time, the costs for services and staffing will normally be shared between the organisations involved.
The specific charge levied by the school will be reviewed annually, during the summer term, by the Resources Committee for implementation from the beginning of the next academic year, with effect from 1 September of that year. Current charges will be provided in advance of any letting being agreed.
VAT
We will include charges for VAT at the applicable rate as advised by national school VAT manual and take advice from Hampshire County Council VAT advisors if needed.
In general, the letting of rooms, including the school hall, for non-sporting activities is exempt from VAT. Sport facility letting charges are normally subject to VAT. In some circumstances, there may be applicable VAT exemptions if certain criteria are satisfied; these do not apply to commercial organisations.
Management and Administration of Lettings
The Head Teacher is responsible for the management of lettings, in accordance with the Governing Body's policy. Where appropriate, the Head Teacher may delegate all or part of this responsibility to other members of staff whilst still retaining overall responsibility for the lettings process.
If the Head Teacher has any concern about whether a particular request for a letting is appropriate or not, he will consult with the Chair of Governors who is empowered to determine the issue on behalf of the Governing Body.
The Administrative Process
Organisations seeking to hire the school premises should approach the Head Teacher (or other designated member of staff), who will identify their requirements and clarify the facilities available.
The Head Teacher (with the consent of the Governing Body) has the absolute right to refuse an application, and no letting should be regarded as "booked" until approval has been given in writing. No public announcement of any activity or function taking place should be made by the organisation concerned until the booking has been formally confirmed.
The proposed letting can either be for:
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An after-school club operated by the School. In this case the form set out at Appendix 1 must be completed and provided to the Head Teacher or delegated member of staff. No activities should start until after the form has been completed and approval given.
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Any other purpose. In this case the hirer must complete the lettings form set out in Appendix 2 and submit this to the Head Teacher or delegated member of staff (via the school office).
Once a letting has been approved, a letter of confirmation will be sent to the hirer, setting out full details of the letting and enclosing a copy of the terms and conditions and the hire agreement.
The letting should not take place until the signed agreement has been returned to the school. The person applying to hire the premises will be invoiced for the cost of the letting, in accordance with the Governing Body's current scale of charges.
The hirer should be a named individual and the agreement should be in their name, giving their permanent private address. This avoids any slight risk that the letting might be held to be a business tenancy, which would give the hirer security of tenure.
The rest of this document is primarily set out for option 2 bookings, but staff leading extra-curricular activities are expected to make themselves aware of the contents.
Charges
Hire charges are reviewed annually and the current charge is set out in the Hire Agreement. All lettings fees which are received by the school will be paid into the school's individual bank account, in order to offset the costs of services, staffing etc (which are funded from the school's delegated budget). Income and expenditure associated with lettings will be regularly monitored to ensure that at least a "break even" situation is being achieved.
Variation of Scales of Charges and Cancellations
The Hirer acknowledges that (i) the charges given may be increased from time to time (they will be reviewed by the Governing Body on an annual basis); and (ii) the cancellation rights are set out in clause 19 of the terms and conditions of hire (set out at Appendix 2) . It is the Hirer's responsibility to notify parents in writing (where appropriate) of any changes in dates or venues at least a week in advance.
Terms and Conditions for the hire of school premises
All terms and conditions set out below must be adhered to. The "Hirer" shall be the person making the application for a letting, and this person will be personally responsible for payment of all fees or other sums due in respect of the letting.
Status of the Hirer
Lettings will not be made to persons under the age of 18, or to any individual, organisation or group with an unlawful or extremist background.
The hire agreement is personal to the Hirer only, and nothing in it is intended to have the effect of giving exclusive possession of any part of the school to them or of creating any tenancy between the school and the hirer.
If a particular letting involves contact with the school's pupils, all personnel involved must undergo a DBS check, in accordance with departmental and national guidance. These checks must be made by prior arrangement with the Head Teacher and we recommended this is requested with at least half a term's notice. No such booking will be allowed to go ahead unless the results of the DBS check have been received.
Any adults working with the school's pupils (for example, at an after school sports club) must be appropriately qualified. Sports coaches must follow the Local Authority's ("LA") guidelines for working in schools.
Priority of Use
The Head Teacher will resolve conflicting requests for the use of the premises, with priority at all times being given to school functions.
Public Safety
The Hirer shall be responsible for the prevention of overcrowding (such as would endanger public safety), and for keeping clear all gangways, passages and exits. The Hirer shall be responsible for providing adequate supervision to maintain order and good conduct, and - where applicable - the Hirer must adhere to the correct adult/pupil ratios at all times.
Own risk
It is the Hirer's responsibility to ensure that all those attending are made aware of the fact that they do so in all respects at their own risk.
Damage, Loss or Injury
The Hirer requires appropriate insurance to cover all its legal liabilities for accidents resulting in injuries to persons (including all participants in the activity for which the premises are being hired), and/or loss of or damage to property, including the hired premises, arising out of the letting. Full details of insurance required can be found in the terms and conditions of hire set out in Appendix 2.
If the Governors have agreed for a Letting to be free of charge this does not affect the need for insurance or any other terms of letting.
Neither the school, nor the LA, will be responsible for any injury to persons or damage to property arising out of the letting of the premises.
School Equipment
This can only be used if requested on the initial application form, and if its use is approved by the Head Teacher. Responsible adults must supervise the use of any equipment which is issued and ensure its safe return. The Hirer is liable for any damage, loss or theft of school equipment they are using, and for the equipment's safe and appropriate use.
Electrical equipment
Any electrical equipment brought by the Hirer onto the school site MUST comply with the LA code of practice for portable electrical appliance equipment. Accordingly, electrical equipment must either have a certificate of safety from a qualified electrical engineer or be inspected by the LA (which the Hirer would need organise directly). The intention to use any electrical equipment must be notified on the application.
Toilet Facilities
Access to the school's toilet facilities is included as part of the hire arrangements.
First Aid Facilities
It is the Hirer's responsibility to make their own arrangements, such as the provision of first aid training for supervising personnel, and the provision of a first aid kit. Use of the schools resources is not available.
Food and Drink
Unless approved in the confirmation letter form no food or drink may be prepared or consumed on the property, in line with current food hygiene regulations. All litter must be placed in the bins provided. Please see the terms and conditions of hire for full details relating to alcohol and use of the catering facilities.
Copyright or Performing Rights
The Hirer shall not, during the occupancy of the premises, infringe any subsisting copyright or performing right, and shall indemnify the school and the LA against all sums of money which they may have to pay by reason of an infringement of copyright or performing right occurring during the period of hire covered by this agreement.
Security
The school (with consent from the Governors) will hire and pay for a person to be responsible for the security of the premises before, during and after the hire, and for the cleaning of the premises after its use. This cost will be taken into account when charging for the letting. If no suitable person can be employed, then the letting will not be allowed or will be cancelled.
Only named key holders may operate the security system. Keys should not be passed to any other person without direct permission of the Governing Body of the school.
Right of Access
The Governing Body reserves the right of access to the premises during any letting and, in addition, appoints the Head Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher, Assistant Head Teacher as it agents to be able to monitor activities from time to time without prior notice being given.
Conclusion of the Letting
The Hirer shall, at the end of the hire period, leave the accommodation in a tidy condition, all equipment being returned to the correct place of storage. If this condition is not adhered to an additional cost may be charged.
Vacation of Premises
The Hirer shall ensure that the premises are vacated promptly at the end of the letting. The Hirer is responsible for supervising any children taking part in an activity until they are collected by a responsible adult.
In the event the premises are not vacated promptly the Governors reserve the right to charge additional hourly rates for any overrun in the booking. All such charges shall be rounded up to the nearest half-hour.
In the event of an emergency, occupants must leave the school by the nearest exit and assemble on the school playground at the side of the school. The Hirer must have immediate access to participants' emergency contact details and have access to a mobile telephone for use in the event of an emergency. Hirers are responsible for familiarising themselves with emergency exits and must ensure that participants are aware of evacuation procedures.
Promotional Literature/Newsletters
A draft copy of any information to be distributed to participants or through the school must be sanctioned by the Head Teacher a week prior to distribution by the Hirer.
Appendix
This policy should be read in conjunction with multiple appendices which are currently only available to view in the downloadable PDF (see sidebar for link, or the bottom of the page on mobile.)
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