For most independent schools, the realistic answer to losing the main hall to exams is not a second brick hall at £1.6m to £3m. It is a permanent, clear-span hall installed in weeks, from £99,000 for the structure.
Why does exam season cost a school its main hall?
Because one hall does everything. Every exam season the desks go in, and for weeks at a time PE, assemblies, drama and clubs lose their space. The timetable bends around it.
The usual fix is a second hall. A brick or modular build costs £1.6m to £3m and takes 18 months to two years to deliver, which puts it off the table for most schools. So the squeeze is accepted, year after year. It does not have to be.
What is a geodesic multi-use hall?
It is a permanent building: one clear-span room with no internal columns, engineered to serve for decades. The same space works as an exam hall, an assembly hall, a drama space and a full-size sports hall, with no conversion work in between.
Every size comes with a double-insulated membrane and standard lighting. Extra windows, extra lighting and heating or cooling are options. Covair delivers it turnkey, from planning through to handover.
What does a second hall cost?
There are three sizes, and the structure price for each is fixed. It covers supply, delivery and installation.
| Size | Dimensions | Floor area | Structure price | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Big Room | 18 x 12 x 5 m | 216 m² | £99,000 | One affordable, flexible room |
| The School Hall | 24 x 12 x 6 m | 288 m² | £130,000 | Assemblies, PE and school events |
| The Sports Hall | 18 x 36 x 9 m | 648 m² | £215,000 | A netball, tennis, pickleball or padel court |
Groundworks and flooring are the one site-specific cost. They are quoted after a short site visit, so the school has one clear, complete quote before it commits to anything.
How does it compare with a brick build?
| Covair geodesic hall | Brick or modular hall | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | From £99,000 for the structure | £1.6m to £3m |
| Time to deliver | Weeks | 18 months to two years |
Is the VAT recoverable?
It may be. Now that school fees carry VAT, the VAT on a capital project may be recoverable against fee income, depending on the school’s position. It is worth a word with your finance adviser, because it can bring the net cost down again. For schools that would rather spread the cost, DomeFinance offers leasing and hire purchase.
Can a second hall pay its way?
It can earn. Outside school hours the hall can be let to clubs and holiday camps, turning a cost centre into an income line. During the school day it gives curriculum time back: exams no longer displace PE. And because it does not depend on the weather, it works every week of the school year, winter terms included.
Which schools already use Covair structures?
Covair has been enabling covered sport since 1982, with more than 200 installations across the UK. At Millfield, one of the UK’s leading independent schools for sport, pupils train under a permanent, climate-controlled Covair dome – a 16m x 33.8m professional-standard structure that is open every day of the year. St Helens School and Cox Green School also use Covair structures to protect sport and teaching time from the weather.
What happens next?
- Enquire. Tell us about the school, the site and what the space needs to do.
- Budget figure. We put a figure and an outline in front of you, before anyone commits to anything.
- Site visit. We visit, confirm feasibility and map the route from planning to handover.
Request a budget figure for your school, or read more about Covair in education and our guide to school sports facilities.
