Lettings
Next review October 2024
1. Aims and scope
- The Governing Body actively encourages community use of the school buildings. However, it reserves the right to refuse any lettings it may choose.
- The hirer must be willing to meet with school officials and provide details of their aims and objectives.
- The Governing Body will ensure that the school budget does not subsidise non-school activities and that all costs are recovered.
- Charges will be reviewed annually by the Governing Body.
- Each hirer using the school will be required to nominate a contact person. Such a person is deemed to be in charge and able to investigate any difficulties which may arise.
- The Governing Body will determine if a nominated person from school is required on site when the premises are being used. If not, a responsible person must be on call.
- A Letting Application / Indemnity Form must be completed by all applicants. A signed copy of the application form, if approved by the school, will be returned to the hirer. For long term lettings application forms will be reviewed on an annual basis.
- Any hirer that uses the school must be adequately insured (with a minimum of £5m public liability insurance) and insurance documents must be attached to the application.
- All hirers must comply with health and safety legislation.
- The hirer is responsible for ensuring that DBS checks have been undertaken where appropriate.
- Arrangements for the payment of each letting will be made in advance with the hirer concerned.
- Smoking is not allowed on the premises in line with school policy.
Alcoholic Drinks
- No alcohol is to be consumed on the premises at any time.
2. Areas available for hire
2.1 Available areas
The school will permit the hire of the following areas:
- Sports hall
- Library
- Classrooms
- Playing fields
2.2 Capacity and charging rates
The maximum capacity and rates for hiring each area are as follows:
Area | capacity | cost |
Sports hall | 100 | £20 per hour |
Family Hub | 35 | £15 |
Classrooms | 35 | £10 per classroom per hour |
Canteen | 100 | £20 per hour |
3. Charging rates and principles
3.1 Rates
The rates for hiring out different areas are listed in the table in the section above. We may decide that certain organisations or activities can use the premises for a reduced rate, or free of charge, if it supports the core aims of the school. This decision has been delegated to the headteacher, who will report to governors.
We may decide to impose an additional cleaning fee on top of the hiring rates.
3.2 Cancellations
We reserve the right to cancel any agreed hiring with a minimum of 7 days. A full refund will be issued if we do cancel a hire. The school shall not be liable for any indirect or consequential losses, including (without limitation) any loss of profits, loss of business or the loss of any revenue arising out of the cancellation of any hire.
The hirer of the premises can cancel any hire with a minimum of 7days notice. If less notice than this is given, the hirer shall not be entitled to a refund.
3.3 Review
The revenue raised from hiring out will be reviewed by the school office manager and will be fed into the school’s financial reporting, to ensure best value is being achieved.
4. Application process
Those wishing to hire the premises should fill out the hire request form, which you can find in appendix 1 of this policy, and read the terms and conditions of hire set out in section 5.
The hirer should fill out and sign the hire request form and submit it to the school office. Approval of the request will be determined by Mrs Hamida Patel.
If the request is approved, we will contact the hirer with details of how to submit payment and make arrangements for the date and time in question. We will also send on details of the emergency evacuation procedures and other relevant health and safety documents. The hirer will also need to provide proof of its public liability insurance.
We reserve the right to decline any applications at our absolute discretion, in particular where the organisation does not uphold the values of the school, reputational damage may occur, or the activity does not adhere to the latest government safety advice.
5. Terms and conditions of hire
The following terms and conditions must be adhered to in the hiring of the school premises. Any breach of these terms will result in cancellation of future hires without refund.
- “Hirer” means the person or entity identified in the relevant hire request form.
- The hirer shall pay the full amount as stipulated by the school, and shall not be entitled to set off any amount owing to the school against any liability, whether past or future, of the school to the licensee.
- The hirer shall occupy the part(s) of the premises agreed upon as a non-exclusive licensee and no relationship of landlord and tenant is created between the hirer and the school by this licence.
- The hirer shall not sub-licence any of the premises under the licence.
- The hirer shall not use the premises for any purpose other than that agreed upon in the licence, as set out in the hire request form.
- Any additional uses of the premises not agreed in writing by the school will result in the immediate termination of the licence.
- The school shall retain control, possession and management of the premises and the hirer has no right to exclude the school from the premises.
- The hirer shall be responsible for all matters relating to health and safety and shall be responsible for those in attendance during the specified time.
- The hirer must take out its own public liability insurance with a reputable insurer approved by the school and, where requested by the school, shall provide a copy of the relevant insurance certificate no less than 10 days before the start date of the licence.
- The hirer shall not conduct, nor permit or suffer any other person to conduct, any illegal or immoral act on the premises, nor any act that may invalidate any insurance policy taken out by the school in relation to the premises.
- The hirer shall indemnify and keep indemnified the school from and against:
a. Any damage to the premises or school equipment;
b. Any claim by any third party against the school; and
c. All losses, claims, demands, fines, expenses, costs (including legal costs) and liabilities, arising directly or indirectly out of any breach by the hirer of the licence or any act or omission of the hirer or any person allowed by the hirer to enter the premises
- Save that nothing in the licence shall exclude or limit either party’s liability for personal injury or death arising from the negligence of either party or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law, the school shall not be responsible for any losses of a direct or indirect nature, and its maximum liability to the hirer shall not exceed the total fees paid or to be paid to the school by the hirer under the licence.
- The hirer will read the emergency evacuation procedures and be ready to follow them in the event of a fire or other similar emergency.
- The hirer will leave the premises in the condition it was found in, leaving the area clean and tidy and not leaving any of their own equipment behind.
- The hirer will clean their own equipment brought into the premises, and clean the premises after use.
- The hirer shall not display any advertisement, signage, banners, posters or other such notices on the premises without prior written agreement from the school
- If the hirer breaches any of the terms and conditions the school reserves the right to terminate the licence and retain any fees already paid to the school, without affecting any other right or remedy available to the school under the licence or otherwise.
- The hirer shall observe the maximum capacity rules of the part(s) of the premises being hired and not allow this to be breached.
- The hirer will acquire all appropriate additional licences for any activities they are running, including those required for use of any third party intellectual property.
- The hirer is responsible for carrying out any risk assessments of the premises relating to the activities it is running.
- The hirer shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations relating to its use of the premises.
- The school’s premises hire policy, the relevant hire request form submitted by the hirer and the relevant hire confirmation letter issued by the school shall apply to and are incorporated in the licence.
- This licence shall be governed, construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
- The school and the hirer irrevocably agree that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising from this licence.
6. Safeguarding
The school is dedicated to ensuring the safeguarding of its pupils at all times. It is a requirement of hire that hirers abide by the schools’ requirements in respect of safeguarding. Any failure from the hirer in this respect will result in the hire being terminated.
It is the responsibility of the hirers to ensure that safeguarding measures are in place while hiring out the space.
If there is a chance that those hiring the premises will come into contact with pupils, for example if the hire occurs during school hours, or when pupils may be present in the school (during after school clubs or extra-curricular activities), we will ask for confirmation that the hirers have had the appropriate level of DBS check.
The hirer will be required to have appropriate safeguarding policies in place, including safeguarding and child protection, and shall provide copies of these policies on request to the school.
The hirer confirms that, should any safeguarding concerns present themselves during the hire of the school premises, they shall contact the headteacher as soon as reasonably practicable.
7. Monitoring arrangements
We will review and update this policy when the guidance on which it is based changes or when this version of the policy otherwise stops being applicable, such as where COVID-19 is no longer a risk.
Any updates to this policy will be shared with the full governing board.
Appendix 1: Hire request form
Before filling out a request form, please familiarise yourself with our terms and conditions for the hire of our premises and our rates of hire, which you can find in sections 2 and 5 of this policy. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Hamida Patel.
Name of applicant/organisation and company number (where applicable) |
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Applicant contact details | Address:
Phone no: Email address: |
Preferred method of contact |
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Purpose/activity of organisation |
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How is the event to be funded? (personal/ business/charity/grant/other) |
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Registered charity number (if relevant) |
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Part of the premises requesting to be hired |
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Date and time of first hire |
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Is this a recurring request, or one off? If recurring, indicate the frequency and number of occurrences (e.g. weekly, 10 weeks) |
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Number of expected participants in the activity (Adults/children) |
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Additional equipment you will require from the school (please note we may not always be able to provide this but will inform you where this is/is not possible) |
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Additional equipment you will be providing yourself |
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Confirmation and details of the safeguarding and child protection arrangements you have |
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By signing below, I agree to the terms and conditions set out in the school’s premises hire policy.
Name _____________________________________________________________ Date _______________
Signature ______________________________________________________________________________
Please return this form via email to bursar@frenchwood.lancs.sch.uk or to the school office. We will be in touch to inform you if your application is successful, and if so details of the full cost and documents that will need to be shared.