10 Jul Minutes of CF Committee Meeting – 9 July 2019
Attendees from the Committee and School:
Elizabeth Mackie (Chair), Leon Choueke (Head), Francesca Iannaccone, Lorraine Gerrard (Chair of Governors), Kit Bhatti, Georgia Norton, Mel Solomou, Challe Hudson, Georgia Norton, Sarah Wiley, Joanna Shakmin
Committee members not present: Louise Foulkes, Helene Fauquet, Andy Day, Emma Grove, Andrea Voros, Alan Midgley, Nikki McNamara,Peter Salerno, Morinade Akinbobola, Eva Gonzalez, Katie Colton, Lucy Davies, Susie Cottee, Ana-Maria Volaric, Nora Ghanem, Claire Wright, Sam Scott, Suz Cocksedge, Aylaa Aqua
Funding
Funds remained healthy at around £133k (plus £8k reserves). Final figures awaited from the Summer Fair but profits will exceed the predicted £15k by some margin and possibly up to just over £18k. At least £70k is now dedicated to the playground fund.
Kit Bhatti is standing down from Treasurer duty (although remaining on the committee). A new treasurer will be needed for next year.
Playgrounds Project
The first stage of the playground works to create a 2nd access gate on the north end of the West playground on Crouch End Hill has been completed.
Haringey’s report has still not arrived although there has been some encouraging news about remedial works being agreed.
The quote for the various works identified as necessary to implement the findings of the Tipping Point project had been received. The contractor was able to provide a 15% discount (excluding fixed costs) to Coleridge Families. The following works were approved for the summer holidays:
- Removal of single brick wall/wooden posts in Playground
Remove all low level bushes, the single brick wall and wooden posts around the area located next to the Table Tennis Tables. Cut back lower branches of the 3 remaining trees.
Build new hard core base to make a shaped area under this location using Blue Rubber Wet Pour Impact Absorbing surface.
- Woodland Area off to the left of the Climbing Frames
Clear out the debris and base soil and make a solid base prepared for the Wet Pour surface. Flooring surface in Rubberised floor for this area, in Woodland Green with a “winding stream effect” running through in Blue Rubber. Install new timber balance benches in this area (one to cross the stream).
- Rear area currently tarmac surface surrounded by fencing to MUGA and exterior fencing
Install timber house adjusted so the back of the house opens so kids can jump out in aBlue Rubber sponge zone to the rear
- Millennium Garden
Remove all rotten decking over the small brick retaining wall and build 2 new steps down into the garden. Clear all the existing floor rubberised material and surrounding beds, Reposition the beds to open up the space. Clean up and repair the central spiral and reset the central area with a cement base to fix the 1.4 metre high Water Fountain. Build a low wall around the circular base with two openings on opposites side to create an attractive sitting area with the fountain in the centre. Create 2 woodland retreats
along the back wall to create a quiet reading area which will run right across the rear section of the Millennium Garden forming nearly 7 metres of cover. Remaining flooring around the spiral to be cleared off to allow for the pourable rubber solution running up to the new raised flower beds and taller freestanding wooden planters.
- Planting and large new block paved area by New Gates
As many established plants/bushes/shrubs as possible will be retained. New block paved platform from the beginning of the new gates across to the beginning of the bank area down to the Pergola.
- Pergola
This will be cleaned and stained to compliment the new gates. The broken trellis on top and sides will be removed.
- New timber fence
A new Fence will be installed along the left hand side of the new gates. This will define the bank area from the Millennium Garden.
All together the above spending amounts to £45,690 ex VAT. Together with the amounts already spent on the project (see previous minutes) the total spend is £64,190.
Phase 2 of the project will include some areas that have been quoted for already and others which have not and are dependent in part on the Haringey remedial works. These include works on the bank area below the bike shed, cleaning and repainting the climbing frame and activity area, and work on the areas left and right of stage plus other works round the back of Y5/6, the allotment cages and on the forest school area.
LC emphasised his desire for CF to continue having the playground project as the main focus of fund raising for the time being.
Liveable Crouch End / Clean Air Project
There was not much progress to report on whether Liveable Crouch End would be giving funding for school streets or green wall solutions. LC did report that LCE had listened to the comments from the local schools on the impact of the original proposals on traffic flows round the schools and changes to the plans were proposed but no details were available.
The committee agreed to discuss further with the Clean Air Coleridge group how their separate fundraising effort could be supported outside of assistance re Gift Aid, Ticket Tailor, Golden Giving, etc that was already being given. Event assistance could be one element that the Committee and reps would be well placed to offer.
Sponsorship
Sarah Wiley was taking forward discussions with Martyn Gerrard on their sponsorship proposals for the coming year. The take up of boards remained an intractable issue.
Events and Inclusion
The Big Night Out had been a great success in the end despite the slow start to ticket sales launched although ticket sales had started slowly. There remained a view in school that this was an event for Y6 rather than one for the whole school but hopefully each year the folk memory will fade.
The events diary for the coming year was discussed and it was agreed the proposed calendar shoud be circulated as soon as possible and publicized on a “save the dates” basis as early as possible. The possible music event was also discussed and Georgia Norton agreed to move that forward on dates once the calendar had been circulated.
Mel Solomou has agreed to take over class rep coordinator from Nikki McNamara. Further class rep coordinators were to be confirmed shortly so the load could be shared out. A replacement would also be needed as Chair as Elizabeth Mackie was coming up to her last 2 years in the school.
Spending
See above re Playground spending.
The next meeting will be on return to school in September.
Elizabeth Mackie July 2019