Turing House school site?

[Shooting4themoon]

Does anyone have any further information on the sale of Imperial College London playing fields to this free school?
Our school use these grounds for all our pitch sports and haven't heard any rumours, has anyone else?

[tess73]

The headline in this weeks Richmond &Twickenham times suggested it had been finalised as the IC site in teddington, not the NPL site, but then the article didn't say it was finalised. Will see if the article is online. Confusing.

[Shootingatpigeons]

Latest is on their website, which is down at the moment but saying they are in negotiation with a landlord and will post news as soon as they can www.turinghouseschool.org.uk/index.html

It is quite normal as the Dof E don't want speculation interfering with their negotiations / attracting rival bids.

That article struck me as a bit odd since Imperial completely denied it which wouldn't make sense if they were in negotiation, you would expect a bit of prevarication. Non story? RTT just got a new schools reporter and their research/ background knowledge has been a bit iffy , even by RTT standards

[straggle]

Agree, shooting, I think it's a non-story.

The research was quite thorough, actually. The reporter got statements from the Education Funding Agency, Richmond council and Imperial College that no site had been acquired yet (and from Imperial, 'nor is it about to'). The head and/or RET were the only ones not to officially comment. You'd think it would be easier to get hold of them

I wouldn't be surprised if there were separate plans for a temporary site, though.

[Teddingtonmum1]

Received an email tonight saying Turing house is now not being allowed to open til sept 2015 . Just wonder what they are going to so with 200 kids who've accepted places ...

[Teddingtonmum1]

To do with !'

[SandWitch]

All children have been offered places elsewhere.

Turing House were running their admissions outside of the Pan London arrangements so anyone offered Turing House had that place in addition to one through the normal offers.

I would imagine that the local academies are breathing a sigh of relief given that they are still undersubscribed this year and so would have lost pupils to Turing House.

I hope they get things together for next year though.

[Shootingatpigeons]

This is the information on offers this year. gallery.mailchimp.com/52b4f94950d892e4d89ac6e34/images/LBRUT_secondary_offer_2014.jpg

They are relying on the waiting lists to move enough to accommodate everyone.

[Strix]

Turing house sent an email out last night to say they there opening has been deferred until 2015. WE didn't get a place anyway so won't affect us. But, I wonder how this will impact people who have already declined other offers on the basis they wanted Turing.

Appalling decision, in my view, to postpone the opening after offers were made.

[SandWitch]

Shooting - I can't link as on phone, but the council press release says...
"Every young person who lives in the borough and applied to a secondary school within the borough has received an offer"

This is without Turing House places. Presumably, if Turing House opened this year, it could have meant 150 spare places elsewhere.

[lightplay]

@Strix parents have until 17 March to accept/decline their offer from the Council, so if they already declined based on the Turing offer I'm pretty sure they can go back to the Council and re-accept the place they were originally offered.

I don't think the Turing House team had any say in this deferral, looks like they were forced to do it.

[lightplay]

ps. does anyone know last offered distances for Teddington, Waldegrave, and Grey Court?

[Strix]

I don't know the exact last distance. But, we live in Whitton and did not get into Waldegrave (or Turing for that matter).

So this doesn't really effect us. But, I sypathise with many people (especially boys in Strawberry Hill) who will be effected.

And it seems a bit suspicious to me that this decision was made almost two weeks after offers were made. I wonder if the Twickenham Academy didn't fill its spaces?

[Shootingatpigeons]

Sandwich if you looked at my link they have clearly overoffered on the PAN but with 32% disappearing off the waiting lists last year they clearly feel confidant they will be OK.

[Shootingatpigeons]

And there were 200 additional applications over last year, more than enough to fill a new school without affecting the Academies.

[SandWitch]

I would imagine most people would agree that Turing House would have a negative impact on the academies, at least for the next couple of years.

Friends of mine who have applied did so specifically to try and avoid Twickenham Academy.
Parents are much more likely to pick Turing over TA than say, Waldegrave.

There is of course nothing wrong with having this choice, it's to be welcomed and I'm sure that there will be lots of very disappointed parents.

I guess the question now, is that given TH is not an option, whether everyone who has an offer and wants a place gets one in September, or if over offering (which they do every year) backfires.

[mary21]

Looks like quite a few were allocated HA and TA that/didn't put it on their CAF . Bet all these were definatly banking on Turing . + looks like Orleans is over Pan by 16 already.
Mind you kids from our road have got Orleans this year and last year they only got in from waiting list.

[mary21]

Certainly if it was a year we were doing secondary transfer. If I had offers from TA and Turing I would have gone Turing. Knowing if it was awful the would probably be space at TA to bail out too. If I had Orleans and Turing I would go Orleans as a safe bet. Same Waldegrave and Turing. Heard Turing was very popular with Stanley and Trafalgar kids/parents. Most of which will have TA.HA And Teddington + Waldegrave for girls.
Interesting St RR full this year.

[Shootingatpigeons]

sandwitch It all depends on the attraction / deterrance of schools and their offering. It isn't so simple that if parents have no other offer they will go to the Academies, some people will go to any lengths if they think a school isn't right for their child. I have known parents with one child in a school in Isleworth and the other in Clapham. And lots did think Turing would be the right school for their child, not least because it is focused on serving the local community, and are very frustrated.

Lovely post on the local thread quoting the Head of Governors at RPA saying to reply early as they have offered over PAN and they are seeing applicants from the local community in greater numbers than ever before. It is good that all the hard work and positive word of mouth is finally paying off.

[ikkenu]

They always over offer, even the popular schools - every year. And I think it depends on the governors as to how many. But there were still 194 vacancies in the borough last year. RPA seem very eager to fill up with 250 offers though!

lightplay Teddington looks like 2365.
Waldegrave 1828/5545 or something. Can't see Grey Court - 2681?

[lightplay]

thanks, we're definitely in the Teddington catchment area but we're not in Waldegrave. who knows how this is all going to change in a couple of years though... for now I'm watching with interest.

the rumoured site for Turing House is currently the Imperial College sport field near Collis. that's interesting for us as we live very close to it. I hope they get it.

[Strix]

Turing might have a negative impact on the academies, but a positive I be on the students who got to go there. Shame it is not the students who take priority.

[ikkenu]

I read that RTT article - but Imperial College denied that it would ever happen. Maybe the legal bods have officially turned it down. I wonder what Waldegrave would have done with the admission point right on top of its school? Increase its proportion from Area B perhaps?

[Strix]

Waldegrave obviously didn't need to widen the catchment as Whitton still not getting in. We put Waldegrave first and didn't get it.

In fact, we got a school in Hounslow (our second choice). So whilst we live in Richmond Borough we will not be taking a Richmond borough place. We certainly won't be going to TA (thank God).

[ikkenu]

Yes but Turing's applications weren't taken into account when Waldegrave offered its places - they had a completely separate process that meant all their successful applicants also had an offer through the LA. So the catchments look more or less the same as last year (although Grey Court's has shrunk the most).