Facilities - Conditions of Hire

Facilities - Conditions of Hire

The hiring of accommodation / facilities / premises is permitted only on the conditions outlined in the following regulations. Acceptance of the hire agreement is deemed to be acceptance of these conditions.

The Hirer (the person or body to whom the hire is granted) shall be responsible for compliance with these conditions.

Applications

Applications for the hire of premises should normally be made at least termly in advance. In general, reservations will not be accepted for dates more than twelve months in advance, except for special events

such as those needing extensive preparations.

The Hirer shall satisfy themselves that the facilities to be hired are suitable for their purposes.

The use of the premises must not interfere with the proper working of the School or impair its efficiency. In particular the Hirer acknowledges that they will not have exclusive use of the site.

Timings

Unless otherwise stated, hiring of a facility is based on a length of 55 minutes (with an expectation you and your group have walked off the area by the hour mark). You should then leave the school site within ten minutes of the end of your session.

Gymnasium / Sports Hall

Only suitable footwear should be worn in the gymnasium or sports hall. No gymnastic equipment may be used without express permission and gymnastic equipment can only be used when an adult with recognised qualifications for the proposed activity is personally supervising at all times.

Risk assessments must be carried out by the hirer prior to using any gymnastic equipment.

Grass sports pitches and hard court multi-use games areas

These facilities should be used for their intended purposes only i.e. participation in formal and informal play and sport.

The grass sports pitches and hard court multi-use games areas shall be hired, together with access to toilets and changing accommodation at the School. The Hirer shall not have any access to any other parts of the School.

The grass sports pitch shall be marked out for that sport and the hard court multi-use games area may have indicative markings for sports like netball, basketball, tennis and small-sided football. No additional marks shall be made to the sports pitch or hard court areas by the hirer.

The grass sports pitches shall have a limited playing capacity. The School reserves the right to restrict use of the grass sports pitch to protect it during inclement weather; when damaged or under repair; when waterlogged; or to fit in with the School curriculum or School demands.

Litter must be removed from the facility at the end of the hire session.

Outside Courts

The hirer must inform the school in advance if they require any equipment set up eg netball posts, tennis nets.

The school will be responsible for taking down the equipment and locking the facility.

Fabric and Fittings

The fabric and fittings (including electrical installations) and contents of the premises shall not be interfered with in any way. No treatment shall be given to prepare a floor for dancing and the wearing of stiletto heels is prohibited. Only authorised persons shall use steps or ladders. No nails or screws shall be driven into the walls, floors, ceilings, furniture or fittings, and no placards shall be affixed to any part of the premises. The School’s furniture (other than chairs in the hired accommodation) and equipment shall not be moved except by prior arrangements. Official exit ways must be kept clear at all times. Any alteration or addition to the School’s lighting or electrical heating systems is strictly forbidden, except with the written consent of the Head teacher. Consent may be subject to conditions, which the Hirer will be required to observe. The Hirer shall, at the end of the hire period, leave the accommodation in a reasonable tidy condition, all equipment being returned to the correct place of storage.

School Equipment

No use may be made of apparatus such as stage fittings, pianos etc., without specific permission.

If permission is granted by the school to use sports equipment the Hirer is responsible for the safe guarding and safe keeping of all items belonging to the Hirer, its guests / delegates or third parties engaged by it. The School accepts no responsibility for such items.

Hirer’s Property

Furniture and apparatus required may be brought on to the premises at the Hirer’s own risk. Hirers shall not bring on to the premises, any article of an inflammable or explosive nature, nor any article producing an offensive smell, nor any other substance, apparatus, or article of a dangerous nature.

Any hirer carrying out activities involving bouncy castles or inflatables agree to do so having followed HSE guidelines for use of such equipment.

The Hirer shall indemnify the establishment against all claims for damages, compensation and/or costs in respect of:

Bodily injury or illness to Third Parties, and/or
Damage to Third Party property caused by or arising out of or being incidental to the Hirer’s use of the premises where the hirer is negligent

The Hirer shall be responsible for loss or damage to the establishment’s premises and contents therein the property of Noadswood School.

The Hirer shall effect adequate insurance in respect of the liabilities and the loss or damage referred to respectively in Conditions 15 & 16 above. (See the Annexe to this section for explanatory notes on insurance).

Refusal of hire

The School may refuse an application to hire the premises if:

The premises are required by the School.
There has been any damage to the property or breach of these conditions during previous use of the premises by the hirer.
For any other reason the governors deem it necessary or expedient to refuse the application.

No compensation shall be payable by reason of such a decision.

Cancellation by the School

The School reserve the right to cancel any hiring without notice if:

The accommodation will, due to circumstances outside their control, be unavailable for the hire period or
The Hirer has failed to disclose material information concerning the proposed hiring, or
There are reasonable grounds to conclude that the Conditions of Hire may be breached to a material extent.

In the event of (i), all hiring fees will be refunded to the Hirer, but the School shall have no further liability to the Hirer. In the event of (ii) and (iii), any refund of hiring fees shall be at the discretion of the School.

Apart from exceptional circumstances, the School will give at least four weeks’ notice to the Hirer, should it become necessary to cancel or postpone a letting.

Cancellation by the Hirer
The Hirer must give at least four weeks’ notice of cancellation to lettings@noadswood.hants.sch.uk - if any shorter period of notice is given, the School reserves the right to pass on to the hirer any costs unavoidably incurred or to impose a cancellation charge.

Payment of charges

The Hirer shall pay the hiring fees, including any deposit, at the rates and times set out in the Application and on the Noadswood website.
All hire charges are invoiced termly in advance and must be paid within 5 working days of the invoice being issued. For charity status lettings, payment can be arranged on a monthly basis (in advance).
The Hirer acknowledges that in the event that the Hirer cancels the hiring with less than 4 weeks notice, there will be no refund of monies already paid.
The School reserve the right, on proper notification, to invoice the Hirer for any charges arising from excessive cleaning time incurred as a result of the Hirer failing to leave the accommodation in a reasonable condition, or for repair of the premises or equipment damaged by the Hirer, or resulting from the Hirer failing to vacate the premises by the time stipulated in the hire form.
The Hirer shall, if so demanded, pay at the time of booking a refundable deposit to be held by the School against costs unavoidably incurred as the result of insufficient notice of cancellation of booking, any damage caused by the Hirer, or additional cleaning required as a result of the premises not being left in a reasonably tidy condition. The proportion of the deposit to be retained will be decided by the School and their decision will be final.

Statutory Requirements

All statutory requirements, including those relating to health and safety and public entertainments, must be strictly fulfilled by the Hirer. Film, music, dancing, indoor sporting events and stage events may be considered to be regulated entertainment and, as such, are licensable activities which require authorisation from the local licensing authority. For all regulated entertainment, it is the Hirer's responsibility to inform the local Licensing Authority and obtain the appropriate licence. This applies if tickets are to be sold at the door or advertised to the public, but also if tickets are offered to friends and neighbours or even if admission is free and open to all.

No musical works in the repertoire of the Performing Rights Society may be performed in public on the premises unless the Hirer has obtained the permission of the society. No copyright material may be delivered or performed unless the consent of the owners of the copyright has been obtained by the Hirer. The Hirer must indemnify the school against any action for breach of copyright.

Attendance and Behaviour

The Hirer shall ensure that the number of persons using the premises does not exceed that for which the application was made and approved.

The Hirer shall be responsible for ensuring the preservation of good order for the full duration of the letting and until the premises are vacated. The Hirer shall at all times provide an adequate number of supervisors for any activity and those supervisors shall be present throughout the hiring period. The Hirer shall be liable for damage caused by unruly or inappropriate behaviour.

It is the Hirer’s responsibility to ensure that all those attending are made aware of their responsibilities, and the School’s and Hirer’s insurance arrangements.

The School reserves the right to exclude individuals or companies that it considers undesirable or inappropriate. The Headteacher reserves the right to require a representative to be in attendance for the preservation of good order and safety and to recover from the Hirer any additional expenses incurred as a result of this condition. If the Headteacher’s representative considers the behaviour of the Hirer, its guest/delegates or third party contractors to be unreasonable, then the representative may cancel and/or terminate the event with immediate effect and the School shall not be obliged to refund any part of the Hire charge.

Safeguarding

As set out in the KCSIE government document (click link), point 156, "the governing body or proprietor should therefore seek assurance that the body concerned has appropriate safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures in place (including inspecting these as needed); and ensure that there are arrangements in place to liaise with the school or college on these matters where appropriate. The governing body or proprietor should also ensure safeguarding requirements are included in any transfer of control agreement (i.e. lease or hire agreement), as a condition of use and occupation of the premises; and that failure to comply with this would lead to termination of the agreement". This must be acknowledged within the declaration which is completed on request of hire.

Alcohol

In no circumstances shall alcoholic drinks be available at any function without prior written consent of the School. Permission will be granted only in exceptional circumstances. Applications must be made in writing at the time the Hirer applies for the use of the premises. If permission is granted for alcoholic drinks to be sold it will be the responsibility of the Hirer to ensure that a Temporary Event Licence is obtained from the local Licensing Authority. The Hirer agrees to comply with all conditions and limitations attached to the Temporary Events Notice he obtains.

The School reserves the right to require sight of a Temporary Event Notice prior to the letting.

Gambling

The premises may not be used for games of chance, other than bingo, unless specific written permission has been granted by the School.

Emergency Evacuation Procedures

Hirers shall familiarise themselves with the fire precautions in force on the premises and with the means of evacuation in the event of a fire, bomb warning or any other threat to safety. The Hirer is responsible for ensuring that persons attending are made aware of the evacuation procedures. Fire and other exits must be kept clear at all times.

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the Noadswood site - this includes e-cigarettes.

Site Team

The Site Team are instructed by the School to ensure that the conditions of hire are fully complied with. All reasonable instructions given by the Site Team member on duty must therefore be followed. Departure times must be as per the ‘end’ of the booking period.

Use of the premises is limited to the accommodation hired and necessary facilities such as toilets. Car parking is permitted in designated areas at the premises subject to availability.

Right of access

The governing body and its agents reserve the right of access to the premises during the letting.

The Headteacher or their representatives reserve the right to suspend or withdraw use of the school by an individual group with immediate effect on the following grounds:
causing intentional damage to the school, its equipment or any personal belongings of other users

Violent, threatening or abusive behaviour to a member of staff or other users
Theft of any property belonging to the School or other users
Disruptive behaviour which is interfering with the activities of others
Behaviour which puts at risk the health, safety or well-being of others
Non-compliance with or breach of licensing laws
Behaviour which is deemed to be offensive and/or results in complaints from users
Refusal to follow reasonable directions from the caretaker or other members of the school’s staff
Non-payment of school invoices
Any other behaviour which is considered inappropriate to the smooth and efficient operation of the School, or against the interests of all users.

Following the suspension, the user will be given reasons in writing and will be offered the opportunity to appeal to the governing body of the School whose decision will be final.

The Hirer may not assign or sub-let the hire of the School.

CCTV

CCTV is operation around the site - the guidance and use of this is set out within the Noadswood CCTV policy (click here).

Sports Hall

The hirer is responsible for setting up and returning equipment, neatly and safely, to the assigned area.

No food or drink
Footwear should have non-marking soles and no heels
Indoor balls only

Cricket

Bat on the matting (ensuring removal of tape, from sports hall floor, after use)
Pitch the ball onto the green cricket mats
Extend the netting full length
Use indoor balls only
Provide own equipment (school will provide stumps)
Wear appropriate indoor footwear (see above)
Practice in nets only
Report damage to the school

Synthetic Turf Pitch

No studs
No food or drink
No spectators on the pitch
Do not drag the goals
Use safety weights on all goals
Return goals to original siting if moved
No use of Gymnasium toilet facilities
No bikes on the pitch

Outside Courts

No food or drink
The hirer must inform the school in advance if they require any equipment set up eg netball posts, tennis nets
The school will be responsible for taking down the equipment and locking the facility.

Gymnasium

No food or drink within the main hall
No unauthorised use
No access to gymnastic equipment except with express permission by the school
Be aware of hazards such as uneven surfaces
Adhere to all health and safety signage and barriers

Lighting

Unless otherwise approved in writing by the Local Planning authority the floodlights on the synthetic turf pitch shall only be switched on when necessary and then only between the hours of 8.30am and 9.45pm Monday to Friday, between 9am and 6.30pm on Saturday and between 10am and 4.45pm on Sundays. A security light will be permitted for 15 mins after the floodlights are switched off to allow safe passage from pitches.

Sharing of Equipment

Some community clubs and groups have access to storage space for equipment at Noadswood school. Where this is applicable, and an agreement has been made where Noadswood students can benefit from the use of this equipment during school time, those clubs will be offered an increased discount to the facilities. This discount will be added on the basis that the stored equipment is being actively used by Noadswood students. The discount is designed to cover the costs and maintenance of this shared equipment and will be reviewed annually. This discount is added at the discretion of Noadswood, and can be reviewed at any time (the discount will extend to a maximum of an extra 20% of the standard hire charge (level 1 or level 2)).

Health & Safety Information

As a hirer of the school facilities you have a legal responsibility to care for the Health & Safety of yourself and others

If the fire alarm bell sounds, leave the building by the nearest exit and report to the assembly point on the tennis courts, adjacent to Water Lane. If the tennis courts are locked please assemble on the field adjacent to the Tennis Courts

The school does not have a First Aider on site in the evenings or at weekends. It is the responsibility of the hirer to make their own first aid provision. There is, however, a first aid box available in the Site Team’s office or in the lobby area of the sports hall. If the first aid box is used, please make a note in the book provided.

A telephone is available in the Site Team’s office, if required

Three Automated External Defibrillators (AED’s) are situated on site. Please refer to the map below for exact locations:

The Site Team must be informed of any Health & Safety incidents that occur during the period of hire

The Site Team must be informed of any damage to the school’s property or premises during the period of hire

Insurance Information

Hirer’s Insurance – Indemnity Clause

In accordance with the terms of hiring it is customary to require persons/organisations to accept responsibility for damage to the premises and its equipment and for the Third Party claims involving injury to persons and/or damage to property.

Injury to Persons or Property

The Hirer shall indemnify the school against all claims for damages, compensation and/or costs in respect of:

bodily injury or illness to Third Parties, including the School’s servants and agents and/or
damage or loss to Third Party property caused by, or arising out of, or being incidental to the Hirer’s use of the premises.

The Hirer shall effect adequate insurance to cover this liability with a minimum limit of indemnity of:

£10 million for commercial hirings except where otherwise agreed
£5 million for non-commercial hirings

Damage to Premises and Equipment

The Hirer shall be responsible for the loss of, or damage to the premises and contents therein, which is the property of the School, except when loss or damage to the premises or contents are as a result of the negligence of the School.

The Hirer shall effect adequate insurance to cover this liability with a minimum limit of indemnity of:

£10 million for commercial hirings except where otherwise agreed
£5 million for non-commercial hirings

Hirers must produce evidence that the required insurance cover is in place at least 7 days before the event.

Non-commercial Hirers

For non-commercial hirers, where evidence of insurance is not forthcoming, the School has arranged for Hirers Liability cover and Hirers who cannot produce evidence of Public Liability Insurance must, as a condition of the proposed hiring, accept the Hirer’s Insurance arranged by Noadswood School (provided they do not fall within the definition of the exclusions listed below).

Operative Clause

The school’s indemnity will cover individual hirers for their legal liability for injury/illness to third parties and/or loss/damage to their property, and loss or damage to the premises and contents hired, including such liability that may be imposed on the Hirer under the terms of the hiring agreement.

Limitations

Damages to Premises or Contents is limited to £1,000,000

Exclusions

Political Meetings and Professional Entertainment Promotions.
Commercial, business or trade hiring.
Contact or adrenaline sports.

Note

This is a public liability insurance policy. It does not provide cover for:

Employers Liability – if the Hirer has employees the Hirer must provide this cover.
Professional negligence of the Hirer – if the Hirer is providing a professional service, it must take out this cover for itself.
Personal Accident – cover for participants in the Hirer’s activity where they have been injured as a result of a pure accident and there is no negligence on the part of the Hirer.