Underhill Community Junior School
Underhill Community Junior School is a former school of early 20th century origin in Fortuneswell. Built in 1913 as a mixed school, it became a senior school in 1925 and then a primary school in the mid-20th century. In its later life prior to closure in 2014, it taught pupils from the age of seven to eleven and according to the Good Schools Guide, had around 118 pupils in the early 21st century. It held approximately 90 pupils each year from 2012 until its closure.
The school saw a number of variations to its name since its inception. It was originally known as Underhill Council School then Underhill Senior School during the first half of the 20th century. In the latter half, it was known as Portland Underhill County Primary School, Underhill County Junior School and Underhill Community Junior School. Locally it was often referred to as "Cliff School" or "the school on the cliff".
The original 1913 school building has been designated an Important Local Building. The 2014 Draft Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland recorded that the school presents a "certain architectural unity", has "historic and community interest", and also benefits the inclusion of Clovens Road into the Underhill conservation area.
History
Construction and 20th century use of school
During the late 19th century, the schools serving Underhill became increasingly overcrowded, with both St John's and the Wesleyan Day School unable to provide enough spaces to meet the educational needs of the parish's children by the 1910s. Initially, in 1910, Dorset County Council began talks with the Wesleyan School's trustees over the possibility of further extension work to provide spaces for an additional 200 children. However, when the trustees failed to "disclose their intention" in good time, the Council's Education Committee opted to construct a new council school instead. They were reported to be "practically unanimous" that building a new school would prove more beneficial for Portland than the more expensive option of "patching up and enlarging the old Wesleyan school".
The council were initially uncertain over where a suitable plot of land could be found for the new school. The Southern Times and Dorset County Herald reported in October 1910: "There is a little difficulty as to the site for the new supplementary Council School, but apparently the county authority are not unwilling to pay even at the rate of £1,000 an acre for a suitable bit of land." In the end, a small field was selected in 1911 at the bottom of Killicks Hill, near the cliff edge overlooking West Weare and Chesil Cove.
It was originally hoped that construction of the school would begin in 1912, in order to provide the desperately needed school places as soon as possible. The Western Gazette reported in 1912 that "numerous complaints are being received of children being refused admittance on account of the overcrowded state of the schools". However, as the Board of Education did not approve the school's plans until the second half of that year, the delay "prevent[ed] tenders being obtained", "result[ing] in the commencement of the building having to be put off till the spring".
Underhill Council School was built by local builders Messrs Jesty and Baker during 1913 for a cost of £3,949, in a domestic-revival style common of its period. Built using Portland stone, the single-storey school's frontage was designed with two pediments, below each of which were a pair of large, sash timber windows. Together the pediments featured the raised words "Council School 1913" across them. The school opened on 19 January 1914, with the capacity to accommodate 216 children. As a mixed school, it taught boys and girls, while the original headmaster, John W. Warren, served there until 1942.
During 1923, the school's capacity was increased with the erection of a former army hut east of the main school building. Dorset County Council sought tenders for the erection and conversion of the hut in April that year, and it was later used as the school's canteen by the 1950s. From 1 September 1925, Underhill School served as a senior school (for children over the age of 11) and became a junior/primary school during the mid-20th century, as Underhill's former junior school, St John's, had been damaged beyond repair during a 1940 German air raid.
Underhill School saw expansion during the 1950s, which included an extension on the eastern side of the main building, adding a third pediment to the facade, in the style of the original two. In 1963, an outdoor swimming pool was installed within the grounds, while in 1966, an attached hall was built on the eastern side of the school. Later in September 1991, plans were approved to build three new classrooms at the school and modernise the existing buildings, with the work being carried out by George & Harding Ltd in 1992.
Construction of replacement school and closure of Underhill School in 2014
In late 2007, the South West Regional Development Agency approached Dorset County Council with the offer of providing a plot of land at Osprey Quay for a new school, which would replace both Underhill School and the nearby Brackenbury Infant School. By this time, the County Council believed the two schools had inadequate facilities to meet modern educational standards, particularly the older Underhill School. Negotiations between the two parties followed, along with Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, while the County Council also commissioned a feasibility study. Plans for the new school were subsequently drawn up and in June 2010, a planning application was submitted for a 315-space primary school and 26-space nursery, which was approved in September. Construction of the new £5.7 million school was carried out in 2011-12, with a planned opening of September 2013.
Meanwhile, in 2008, the newly-formed Chesil Cove Federation took over as the governing body for Underhill and Brackenbury Schools. Later still, in 2012, both schools, along with three others on the island, opted to join together to form the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy. In September that year, Underhill School opened as one of five IPACA campuses, known as "Underhill Campus". It continued to provide education until the summer of 2014, when it closed after 100 years of use. Many of the school's pupils and staff moved to other IPACA campuses the following school year. In July 2014, a celebration was held to mark the school's service, which included a tour, a student performance of a song named "Goodbye Underhill" and a presentation by Wayne Day, who had been a governor at the school for seventeen years.
Attempted community use and selling of site for development (2015-)
The school was listed for sale by informal tender through Symonds & Sampson in April 2015, which was met with criticism from some locals and the Portland Community Partnership (PCP). The PCP expressed disappointment that Dorset County Council had not consulted them on the disposal of the site as the Portland Neighbourhood Plan listed it as being a potential site for community use. In June, PCP's attempt to register the school as an asset of community value was accepted by Weymouth & Portland Borough Council. A number of suggestions had been made for the site's future use since consultations were held in 2013. It was believed that mixed use would be a viable option, with some ideas including a children's centre, an elderly care centre, a GP surgery, a library, an arts centre, studios and start-up units for commercial businesses.
By late July, PCP announced their plans to bid for the site, which coincided with an offer of around £500,000 from a developer. The PCP's announcement triggered a six-month moratorium, which only allowed the council to sell the site to a non-commercial or community-based party. The moratorium period allowed PCP time to try and raise funds to match the existing offer for the site and further develop their plans for its future use. This included forming a Community Land Trust (CLT) to manage the site for community use, in particular the main part of the school building. However, over the following six months, no community bids were submitted and PCP's final proposals for the site were rejected by the county council.
The site was subsequently sold to Bayview Developments Limited, who, in April 2017, submitted a planning application to develop the site into twenty-one properties. The development plans included retaining the majority of the original school building for conversion into apartments. Permission was granted in November for twenty dwellings to be created on the former school site, and demolition work began in March 2018.
Facilities and regime
The school and its grounds amounted to 1.08 acres in total. By the 21st century, the school had six classrooms, which each featured adjacent practical areas for science and art, a computer room with internet access, a reference and lending library, a hall, a music and dance studio, as well as a fully-heated outdoor swimming pool. Externally, the school had a number of concreted playground areas, which included a netball court. At the northern-most end of the school's lower-level playground was a timber play trail and long-jump sand pit.
The school population was split into six classes overall. The pupils in Years 3 and 4 were split into three classes of 26 pupils, while Years 5 and 6 were split into three classes of 24 pupils.
In 2007, the school was one of a hundred across the UK to receive £20,000 of funding for the installation of solar panels on the hall roof. Funded by the Co-operative group and the government through an energy scheme, the panels were switched on by selected pupils in January 2008. Aside from providing electricity, it was hoped the panels would educate pupils about renewable energy and climate change.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC News - Primary schools in Dorset: CVA score - December 2007 - website page
2) BBC News Dorset - Bid to buy Portland's Underhill School as community asset - July 2015 - website page
3) BBC News Dorset - Underhill School on Portland closes after 101 years - July 2014 - website page
4) Dorset Echo - numerous articles from the online archive from 2005 to 2015 - website page
5) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - WP/17/00323/FUL (13 April 2017) - website page
6) Internet Archive Wayback Machine - Underhill Community Junior School - Official Website - Home - website page
7) Internet Archive Wayback Machine - Underhill Community Junior School - Official Website - Introduction - website page
8) Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy - Official Website - Underhill Campus - website page
9) Ofsted - Inspection Reports - Underhill Community Junior School - website page
10) Rightmove - Commercial property for sale - Killicks Hill, Portland, Dorset - website page
11) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
12) The Good Schools Guide - Underhill Community Junior School - website page
13) UJS News Blogspot - High Performing School Again - November 2007 - website page
14) UJS News Blogspot - One in a Hundred - January 2008 - website page
15) UJS News Blogspot - Record Breaking SAT Results - November 2007 - website page
16) UJS News Blogspot - UJS Hits New High in Rankings - December 2007 - website page
17) Weymouth and Portland Borough Council - Draft Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - 2014 - PDF document
The school saw a number of variations to its name since its inception. It was originally known as Underhill Council School then Underhill Senior School during the first half of the 20th century. In the latter half, it was known as Portland Underhill County Primary School, Underhill County Junior School and Underhill Community Junior School. Locally it was often referred to as "Cliff School" or "the school on the cliff".
The original 1913 school building has been designated an Important Local Building. The 2014 Draft Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland recorded that the school presents a "certain architectural unity", has "historic and community interest", and also benefits the inclusion of Clovens Road into the Underhill conservation area.
History
Construction and 20th century use of school
During the late 19th century, the schools serving Underhill became increasingly overcrowded, with both St John's and the Wesleyan Day School unable to provide enough spaces to meet the educational needs of the parish's children by the 1910s. Initially, in 1910, Dorset County Council began talks with the Wesleyan School's trustees over the possibility of further extension work to provide spaces for an additional 200 children. However, when the trustees failed to "disclose their intention" in good time, the Council's Education Committee opted to construct a new council school instead. They were reported to be "practically unanimous" that building a new school would prove more beneficial for Portland than the more expensive option of "patching up and enlarging the old Wesleyan school".
The council were initially uncertain over where a suitable plot of land could be found for the new school. The Southern Times and Dorset County Herald reported in October 1910: "There is a little difficulty as to the site for the new supplementary Council School, but apparently the county authority are not unwilling to pay even at the rate of £1,000 an acre for a suitable bit of land." In the end, a small field was selected in 1911 at the bottom of Killicks Hill, near the cliff edge overlooking West Weare and Chesil Cove.
It was originally hoped that construction of the school would begin in 1912, in order to provide the desperately needed school places as soon as possible. The Western Gazette reported in 1912 that "numerous complaints are being received of children being refused admittance on account of the overcrowded state of the schools". However, as the Board of Education did not approve the school's plans until the second half of that year, the delay "prevent[ed] tenders being obtained", "result[ing] in the commencement of the building having to be put off till the spring".
Underhill Council School was built by local builders Messrs Jesty and Baker during 1913 for a cost of £3,949, in a domestic-revival style common of its period. Built using Portland stone, the single-storey school's frontage was designed with two pediments, below each of which were a pair of large, sash timber windows. Together the pediments featured the raised words "Council School 1913" across them. The school opened on 19 January 1914, with the capacity to accommodate 216 children. As a mixed school, it taught boys and girls, while the original headmaster, John W. Warren, served there until 1942.
During 1923, the school's capacity was increased with the erection of a former army hut east of the main school building. Dorset County Council sought tenders for the erection and conversion of the hut in April that year, and it was later used as the school's canteen by the 1950s. From 1 September 1925, Underhill School served as a senior school (for children over the age of 11) and became a junior/primary school during the mid-20th century, as Underhill's former junior school, St John's, had been damaged beyond repair during a 1940 German air raid.
Underhill School saw expansion during the 1950s, which included an extension on the eastern side of the main building, adding a third pediment to the facade, in the style of the original two. In 1963, an outdoor swimming pool was installed within the grounds, while in 1966, an attached hall was built on the eastern side of the school. Later in September 1991, plans were approved to build three new classrooms at the school and modernise the existing buildings, with the work being carried out by George & Harding Ltd in 1992.
Construction of replacement school and closure of Underhill School in 2014
In late 2007, the South West Regional Development Agency approached Dorset County Council with the offer of providing a plot of land at Osprey Quay for a new school, which would replace both Underhill School and the nearby Brackenbury Infant School. By this time, the County Council believed the two schools had inadequate facilities to meet modern educational standards, particularly the older Underhill School. Negotiations between the two parties followed, along with Weymouth & Portland Borough Council, while the County Council also commissioned a feasibility study. Plans for the new school were subsequently drawn up and in June 2010, a planning application was submitted for a 315-space primary school and 26-space nursery, which was approved in September. Construction of the new £5.7 million school was carried out in 2011-12, with a planned opening of September 2013.
Meanwhile, in 2008, the newly-formed Chesil Cove Federation took over as the governing body for Underhill and Brackenbury Schools. Later still, in 2012, both schools, along with three others on the island, opted to join together to form the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy. In September that year, Underhill School opened as one of five IPACA campuses, known as "Underhill Campus". It continued to provide education until the summer of 2014, when it closed after 100 years of use. Many of the school's pupils and staff moved to other IPACA campuses the following school year. In July 2014, a celebration was held to mark the school's service, which included a tour, a student performance of a song named "Goodbye Underhill" and a presentation by Wayne Day, who had been a governor at the school for seventeen years.
Attempted community use and selling of site for development (2015-)
The school was listed for sale by informal tender through Symonds & Sampson in April 2015, which was met with criticism from some locals and the Portland Community Partnership (PCP). The PCP expressed disappointment that Dorset County Council had not consulted them on the disposal of the site as the Portland Neighbourhood Plan listed it as being a potential site for community use. In June, PCP's attempt to register the school as an asset of community value was accepted by Weymouth & Portland Borough Council. A number of suggestions had been made for the site's future use since consultations were held in 2013. It was believed that mixed use would be a viable option, with some ideas including a children's centre, an elderly care centre, a GP surgery, a library, an arts centre, studios and start-up units for commercial businesses.
By late July, PCP announced their plans to bid for the site, which coincided with an offer of around £500,000 from a developer. The PCP's announcement triggered a six-month moratorium, which only allowed the council to sell the site to a non-commercial or community-based party. The moratorium period allowed PCP time to try and raise funds to match the existing offer for the site and further develop their plans for its future use. This included forming a Community Land Trust (CLT) to manage the site for community use, in particular the main part of the school building. However, over the following six months, no community bids were submitted and PCP's final proposals for the site were rejected by the county council.
The site was subsequently sold to Bayview Developments Limited, who, in April 2017, submitted a planning application to develop the site into twenty-one properties. The development plans included retaining the majority of the original school building for conversion into apartments. Permission was granted in November for twenty dwellings to be created on the former school site, and demolition work began in March 2018.
Facilities and regime
The school and its grounds amounted to 1.08 acres in total. By the 21st century, the school had six classrooms, which each featured adjacent practical areas for science and art, a computer room with internet access, a reference and lending library, a hall, a music and dance studio, as well as a fully-heated outdoor swimming pool. Externally, the school had a number of concreted playground areas, which included a netball court. At the northern-most end of the school's lower-level playground was a timber play trail and long-jump sand pit.
The school population was split into six classes overall. The pupils in Years 3 and 4 were split into three classes of 26 pupils, while Years 5 and 6 were split into three classes of 24 pupils.
In 2007, the school was one of a hundred across the UK to receive £20,000 of funding for the installation of solar panels on the hall roof. Funded by the Co-operative group and the government through an energy scheme, the panels were switched on by selected pupils in January 2008. Aside from providing electricity, it was hoped the panels would educate pupils about renewable energy and climate change.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) BBC News - Primary schools in Dorset: CVA score - December 2007 - website page
2) BBC News Dorset - Bid to buy Portland's Underhill School as community asset - July 2015 - website page
3) BBC News Dorset - Underhill School on Portland closes after 101 years - July 2014 - website page
4) Dorset Echo - numerous articles from the online archive from 2005 to 2015 - website page
5) Dorset for You - W&PBC - Planning Application Details - WP/17/00323/FUL (13 April 2017) - website page
6) Internet Archive Wayback Machine - Underhill Community Junior School - Official Website - Home - website page
7) Internet Archive Wayback Machine - Underhill Community Junior School - Official Website - Introduction - website page
8) Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy - Official Website - Underhill Campus - website page
9) Ofsted - Inspection Reports - Underhill Community Junior School - website page
10) Rightmove - Commercial property for sale - Killicks Hill, Portland, Dorset - website page
11) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
12) The Good Schools Guide - Underhill Community Junior School - website page
13) UJS News Blogspot - High Performing School Again - November 2007 - website page
14) UJS News Blogspot - One in a Hundred - January 2008 - website page
15) UJS News Blogspot - Record Breaking SAT Results - November 2007 - website page
16) UJS News Blogspot - UJS Hits New High in Rankings - December 2007 - website page
17) Weymouth and Portland Borough Council - Draft Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - 2014 - PDF document
Gallery
These images can be enlarged by clicking on them. Some images have information attached to them, and to view this you can either enlarge the image or hover the mouse over each thumbnail.
Many thanks to Mark Osborne of Dorset County Council for arranging access for the interior photographs of the school to be taken in 2015. A thank you to Paul Southern of DCC for his assistance too.
Many thanks to Mark Osborne of Dorset County Council for arranging access for the interior photographs of the school to be taken in 2015. A thank you to Paul Southern of DCC for his assistance too.
