HORSA

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'HORSA huts' from c.1947 at Machanhill Primary School, South Lanarkshire Machanhill Primary School HORSA Huts - geograph.org.uk - 1281710.jpg
'HORSA huts' from c.1947 at Machanhill Primary School, South Lanarkshire

HORSA is the acronym for the 'Hutting Operation for the Raising of the School-Leaving Age', a programme of hut-building in schools introduced by the UK Government to support the expansion of education under the Education Act 1944 to raise the compulsory education age by a year to age 15.

Contents

Background

Government plans to increase the school leaving age resulted in the need to accommodate 168,000 additional pupils. [1] Along with the need to replace buildings lost and damaged in World War II and the post-war baby boom, this contributed to massive demand for low cost prefabricated 'hut'-style classrooms and other school buildings. 7,000 new classrooms and 928 new primary schools were built in 1945-50. [2] [3]

The programme was the responsibility of George Tomlinson, the Minister of Education in the post-war Clement Attlee government. There is some evidence the programme struggled to cope with demand. [4] However, the scheme progressed and was regarded as complete by 1950. [5]

HORSA huts

HORSA hut block, Baltasound Junior High School, Shetland HORSA block, Baltasound Junior High School - geograph.org.uk - 1555783.jpg
HORSA hut block, Baltasound Junior High School, Shetland

HORSA huts were constructed of concrete and timber with corrugated asbestos-filled roofs, arrived onsite as flat pack deliveries and once assembled they resembled the spartan buildings used in army camps in the war. [6] Although intended as temporary accommodation with an expected lifespan of only ten years, [7] 'Horsa huts' were often used well beyond this and some still survived as of 2012. [8] Although now often in poor physical condition and regarded as having little architectural merit, demolition of those built before 1 July 1948 requires listed building consent if they fall within the curtilage of a listed building. [9]

References

  1. "Public Information Films | 1945 to 1951 | Charley Junior's School Days".
  2. "Wirral's last 'temporary' post-war Horsa school hut to be bulldozed to allow Overchurch Infants revamp - Liverpool Echo". August 2011.
  3. Webb, Simon (February 2013). The Best Days of Our Lives: School Life in Post-War Britain. The History Press. ISBN   9780752489360.
  4. "Horsa Huts".
  5. "Education, Scotland".
  6. Parker, David (2005). John Newsom: A Hertfordshire Educationist. Univ of Hertfordshire Press. ISBN   9780954218980.
  7. "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 22 Nov 2001 (Pt 32)".
  8. "UCL - London's Global University". Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  9. http://www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/en/councilservices/Environ/planning/planapps/Documents/PDF%20Documents/Decision%20Notices/10.00048.CCD%20-%20Approved%20Supporting%20Information.pdf Archived 9 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine [ bare URL PDF ]