Sport forms an important part of school life and Lady Manners School has an excellent sporting reputation. Throughout the school, sport helps to develop social skills and confidence in all students, whatever their ability. Rugby, netball, athletics, dance, football, hockey, table tennis, badminton and basketball are all a part of what we offer.

Many of our students also play sport outside school, with the many local clubs which thrive in and around Bakewell. Some of these clubs work with school to make use of our facilities in order to provide or extend the facilities they can offer their members. We have responded to a desire to develop our current sports facilities in order to continue to provide the best opportunities for our students and for the local community. Our ongoing work to develop our sports facilities has included restoration of the school’s historic sports pavilion, work which was made possible by generous funding from the school’s PTFA.

The New 3G Pitch

We are delighted that our sporting facilities have been greatly enhanced by the addition of a 3G pitch. The high quality pitch is constructed of ‘Tiger Turf Atomic Pro’ – a FIFA and FIH compliant synthetic sports flooring material. It is floodlit with FA compliant LED floodlights after dark.

The addition of the 3G to the sports facilities already available at Lady Manners School benefits all of our students. The new pitch is also available to hire by sports clubs and the local community (see our Lettings page for further detail).

Our project includes a tree planting programme to ensure that we retain our beautiful surroundings as well as enhancing our sporting facilities.

Funding the Development

The school’s plans have developed alongside the District Council local housing need survey which, in 2015, identified 119 households with a strong local connection to Bakewell in need of affordable housing. The District Council identified the school’s site following extensive site appraisal work undertaken with Bakewell Town Council and planning experts from the Peak District National Park Authority.

30 new affordable homes have been built for people with a strong local connection to Bakewell or an adjoining parish on part of the school’s land, most of which was not utilised by the school. Affordable homes are advertised on the District Council’s lettings scheme Home-Options. Only those registered are able to express an interest. To register for housing or to find out more visit www.home-options.org. The funds from the sale of this land were ‘ring-fenced’, in an agreement with the Secretary of State, for improving the school’s sporting facilities.

The section of land being developed is where the old buildings – formerly home to ‘Highfield School for Girls’ until its inclusion with Lady Manners School in the early 1970s – were situated. These were taken out of use several years ago and have been demolished.

The image below shows the position of changes.