EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL A PROPOSAL DOCUMENT

constructed in the early 1970s, and consists of four buildings. The main
teaching blocks, which comprise of 2 buildings with 3 storeys and a two storey
building are connected by a series of elevated walkways, with the fourth block
which houses the PE facilities, music and dining areas is unconnected to the
rest of the campus buildings.
Originally, the campus was built to house the secondary school, however,
prior to local government re-organisation in August 1994, New Farm Primary
School was re-located into surplus accommodation within the James Hamilton
Academy buildings. This allocation of space was later expanded when
Crookedholm Primary School was closed. The Primary School was then
specially adapted with the addition of a nursery class.
(b)
Building data - Capacity
The planning capacity of a secondary school is calculated by dividing the total
area of teaching rooms by the space allocation per student. The space
allocation varies depending on the subject concerned, for example, the space
per student for a general classroom to teach English or Mathematics is 1.5
square metres per student, while for an Art room it is 3.0 square metres per
student. As not all rooms can be used at the same time, the planning capacity
is reduced to take account of constraints such as timetabling. This creates the
functional capacity which is calculated by multiplying the planning capacity by
76% and deducting a further 150.
Therefore, the planning capacity of James Hamilton Academy is 1,604
students and its functional capacity is 1,069. As at September 2012, there
were 676 pupils enrolled and therefore the school has an occupancy rate of
63.2%.
(c)
Building data – Condition and Suitability
Table 2 includes data from the latest School Estate Management Plan,
presented to Cabinet in June 2012, which classifies the school’s physical
condition and suitability for delivering a modern curriculum as follows:
Table 2:
School Condition and Suitability Rating
Condition
(A-D)*
Physical Condition
Suitability for delivering a modern
education
B
C
The condition and suitability ratings are based on those devised by the
Scottish Government using the following criteria:
Condition
A : Good
Performing well and operating efficiently
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