Children at Hatherop Primary School have been backing a major fundraising campaign to improve their school buildings and create a new school hall.
The goal is to raise £1.5 million, and through imagination, perseverance and wide community support, the school has already secured £360,000 towards The Big Build project.
This is a three-phase redevelopment project to replace ageing and unsuitable school building structures, double the size of one classroom, and provide a new hall suitable for the whole school and community use. The project is being funded entirely through fundraising, relying on the combined efforts of pupils, parents, former students, local organisations, charitable trusts, and supporters with local connections.
Pupils themselves have played a central role in raising funds. They’ve taken on personal challenges including mountain walks, where a Year 3 student became the youngest girl ever to successfully complete the National Three Peaks Challenge. Another challenge saw one pupil read 1.5 million letters – equivalent to around 1,200 pages – in a sponsored readathon, and in another, one tireless individual swam 5km in one go, raising more than £1,000.
One initiative, the ‘Grow a Fiver’ campaign, challenged each child to turn a £5 investment into a larger sum through their own ideas. Activities ranged from small enterprise projects to larger community events, including a car wash organised with the Fairford rugby team and local fire crew.
A lot of the efforts have been driven by former pupils and current Year 6 children, who will not personally benefit from the new hall but have chosen to support future generations. Parents have joined in, with one parent completing a 24-hour bike ride marathon, and a group of dads completing a 24-hour rowathon. A mum-of-three put on a special event selling a selection of pre-loved clothes and accessories at the school.
Significant donations have also come from charitable trusts such as the Ernest Cook Trust and the John Armitage Charitable Trust. High-profile supporters with local ties, including Anne Robinson and ‘People’s Poet’ Pam Ayres, have lent their time to performances and fundraising events to boost the campaign.
Hugh Bowring, a parent at the school who has overseen communications for the project, said: “The school is a beautiful, welcoming place and a real hub of the community. The staff are wonderful and caring. That’s why the whole community has come together for The Big Build. So many people have put their hand up to help, and the amount raised so far is truly inspiring.”
The Big Build aims to improve how the school functions day-to-day and ensure the facilities meet the needs of pupils and staff. A temporary classroom installed in the early 1990s was originally intended as a short-term solution but is now difficult to heat in winter, overheats in summer, and is at risk of structural failure.
Although all pupils can squeeze into the hall, it is cramped and restrictive. With space for only a small number of parents at performances, and with the same room serving as dining hall and PE space, it significantly limits what the school can offer as a whole community.
Taryn Hancock, Headteacher of Hatherop Primary, said: “As a Church of England primary school, we enjoy coming together as a community in daily collective worship, but our current facilities limit how we can bring our whole school family together in meaningful worship and celebration.
“The new hall will become the heart of our school’s faith life, providing a welcoming space where children can gather daily to reflect, pray, sing and explore their spirituality together. Beyond worship, this space will serve our children’s holistic development, supporting PE, drama, music, and those precious moments of coming together as one school family that are so vital in a small primary school like ours.”
Phases 1 and 2 of the Big Build were completed during the summer holidays, on time and on budget. Phase 1 involved relocating the school office from the first floor to a new ground-floor space, creating a more practical reception area for families and visitors and allowing staff a clear view of the main entrance. The former office has since been repurposed as a dedicated intervention space for pupils.
Phase 2 focused on extending the Year 4 classroom, which had previously been significantly undersized. The classroom has now doubled in size and been brought up to modern building standards, including improved insulation and energy-efficient heating.
David Williams, Principal Advisor for Buildings, Admissions and Trusts in the Education Team at the Diocese of Gloucester, said: “I have already visited the new build and I was delighted to see the improved facilities at the school. The new entrance area and extended classroom have been sympathetically incorporated into the existing building. It was clear to see how the children were benefitting from an enhanced classroom learning space. The new entrance area is now located where visitors can be safely welcomed in a modern and transformed space.”
Phase 3 will be the largest and most costly stage of the project, estimated to cost around £1.2 million. The temporary Elliot Building, currently used as the Year 5 and 6 classroom, will be demolished and replaced with a large new school. The new building will include additional storage and toilet facilities and will be available to local groups outside school hours. Once the new hall is completed, the existing hall will be converted into a Year 5/6 classroom with a small library.
News Hub
