Turing House school site?

Free schools / academies provide a mechanism for the funding to go directly to the school and stop the wasteful beaurocracy that is the LEA from creaming off the top. That, in my view is a good thing. Waldegrave, Orleans Park, Turing, and The Green School are all academies. They do an excellent job and it is right that the money go to them directly.

Also pragmatically whatever the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of LA versus D of E control many parents feel that LBRUT have consistently for decades let parents down in terms of providing sufficient secondary places in good schools. Whatever the drawbacks of the Free School process at least it provided a prospect of a new school that actually met the needs and desires of parents for an inclusive coed school on the model of the oversubscribed academies so that fewer parents felt the need to move, go private or find out of borough schools. Many of us who have lived in the black holes of good school provision experienced the way in which the communities that we have became part of during anti natal, nursery and primary years break up as a result, really welcomed a proposal, whatever the politics behind the process, that would prevent that happening to parents in Teddington, Twickenham and Fulwell in future.

nennypops Like it or loathe it though the Free School process is the only way to gain community places for our children. And they are desperately needed which is why the community should get behind a group of parents who have made a considerable sacrifice to work through a challenging process to deliver what our community needs. The Council will not deliver any school places ahead of the additional school needed on the Egerton site in 2017, partly because they included a Free School starting in 2013 in the forecasts. The Free School application for that put in by their partnership is not approved yet. So with over 200 additional applicants this year and 35% more by 2017 it really is essential Turing is delivered now, whatever anyone's principles are on the matter.

Turing House, if it opens, will undoubtedly be an independent school. That is the legal definition of both academies and free schools - they aren't a separate entity along with maintained schools and independent schools. Have a look at this

Obviously if TH finds a site it will have to go through the planning process: I did not say otherwise. I simply expressed my view that the Imperial College fields should not be that site.

Shooting: my view is that the need for school places in the areas should be met through maintained provision. I am well aware that that is not legally possible at the moment, but that is as a result of the political choices that the government has made. We are already seeing some pretty disastrous consequences resulting from the pursuit of that agenda, both in terms of the schools that have failed and the fact that a number of academies and free schools are blatantly breaking the law on a daily basis (for example in imposing unlawful exclusions in relation to pupils with SEN). I am appalled at the amounts of public money being poured into this whilst current maintained schools are allowed to crumble away for lack of basic maintenance - look at what was wasted on the ludicrous Phoenix proposal, for instance.

As I say, I have no doubt of the good intentions of those behind the Turing proposal and that they intend to follow the law. But the fact is that the defective political thinking that lies behind the whole free school/academy agenda is a direct cause of the current situation where 150 children who thought they were going to one school in September suddenly find, 6 months beforehand, that that is not possible, and I am sure no-one thinks that is desirable.

Hi everyone,

Read through the thread.

My daughter was offered places at both Turing House and Waldegrave.

Weirdly, you may think, we had our hearts set on Turing House.

Lord Nash and the DfE allowed Turing House School to make 150 offers to the 362 children that applied on Monday 3rd March.

Just over a week later (Wednesday 12th March), without any consultation with parents, Lord Nash goes ahead with a decision to postpone Turing House School over a lack of permanent site, despite a temporary site that is/was viable for 3-4 years!

I, personally, applied on my daughter's behalf, fully aware that the school would start on a temporary site and remain there for at least 2-3 years. I saw from other Russell Education Trust Schools that this model had worked for them in the past and felt confident that all would be well.

I have written to local councillors, Lord Nash, Vince Cable and Michael Gove regarding my concern over the postponement of the school.

I have also signed the e-petition on the Richmond borough website. I am concerned that 1,000 signatures is a rather big ask when 362 families applied but 150 were offered places. I ask anyone who agrees that the school should be allowed to open as planned, this September, take the time to sign their support on this.

This will ensure the school opens and will hopefully kick some academies into gear with the competition.

Link to the Turing Parents 2014 Facebook campaign:

touch.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1413078015617609&refid=0

Also search #Turing14 on Twitter.

Even if you aren't interested in Turing House, I've got a Waldegrave place up for grabs if you do help Turing House open! ;)

Nennypops Unlike St RR? It was also an "independent school" by your definition, certainly independent of the local community in terms of exclusivity. It opened at short notice as a result of real question over it's legality and then was criticised by the planning committee for developing it's plans without any dialogue with local residents, resulting in the siting the Reception all day outdoor play area,in the face of opposition from the Church Housing Trust, adjacent to a house they run for vulnerable people emerging from various sorts of institutional care. Turing House , whatever site, will certainly have to work within sensible planning guidelines, and would want to because it is an important part of our community, in relation to it's neighbours in a way St RR has not had to, and has taken full advantage of. It has even put aside sensible measures that the College had in place in consideration of it's neighbours.

I have no wish to awaken old political divides, St RR is open now and educating children whose positive educational experience should be at the centre of this debate, but opening new schools in a crowded suburb is always going to be difficult. Turing House is needed even more now by our community, this year the Council have had to make 236 more offers than there are places and this is just the start of the pupil bulge. What exactly do you propose to meet that need?

Nennypops, whichever site is used, proper planning consultations will take place.

TH isn't an independent school. It is an academy, like all the other community secondaries in the borough, which have all either been converted or transformed into academies in recent years. Free schools are just new academies. It is the only way to set up new community schools under current policy, and it is a much wanted and needed new school.

Ps. My last message was for nennypops.

TH is not a fee-paying independent school, not sure what you meant by independent.

As for the site I have nothing to add.

Nenny, you haven't been to any of the meetings. If you had, then you would be more likely to feel reassured, and it would have at least given you the opportunity to ask questions. Nevertheless there is a lot of information on the website if you're interested in finding out more, e.g. here.

Lightplay, I never said the Imperial ground was public open space. The fact is that it's open space, and I can't really see why it should be sacrificed to an independent school. Amongst other matters, it's overlooked by sheltered housing the residents of which aren't exactly going to prefer spending their last years looking at construction works and a large building or buildings instead of green fields. The access arrangements are also hardly conducive.

10 staff? Including all subject teachers, headteacher, SENCO, administrators, welfare staff, teaching assistants, IT assistants?

And whether it's two teachers, 10, or 100, the fact remains that they have not apparently recruited any of the staff who they planned would help to run the school in September, so parents have to take it 100% on trust. Of course, as a free school they don't have to recruit qualified staff. That wouldn't exactly reassure me.

Regarding the Imperial College site, that is a rumour for now. And it's not a public open space... and Teddington has plenty of sports fields and green open spaces, public and private. I live next to that site and my impression is that it's underused.

Regarding the

Nennypops, all new schools recruit in the same way. SRR did the same last year.

Don't forget its only a single year group, so only around 10 staff would be recruited at first. Large secondaries recruit similar numbers each year.

Bayjay, I am local. I know this is the time all schools recruit staff. However, all schools are not recruiting their entire staffing body at once! I just wouldn't fancy putting my child into a school with no track record, where I haven't met any of the staff and they haven't even been recruited yet, and I have no idea where it is even going to be located. I would be happier about it if the school had been thought through to the extent that there was a commitment in terms of the premises, and if at least senior staff, including heads of each subject department, had been identified and put in place. Again, I know that is how free schools work, I just think it is a ridiculous way to set up any school and is symptomatic of a clearly defective system which has led directly to disasters like Al Madinah.

As a side issue, I would be really unhappy if TH ends up on the Imperial College field, because that is valuable open space which shouldn't be lost.

Going back a few years parents from Archdeacon, Trafalger and Stanley knew their children would get Orleans or Teddington under the link school system . Indeed when the current year 6,s stated primary they would have done. Over the last few years with shrinking catchments more didn't and indeed quite a few from Trafalgar got TA. Many fro Archdeacon and Trafalgar sat private exams as back up. Once the link school system went even more from these primaries didn't get Orleans or Teddington. No doubt more went private. This year though they would have thought they were safe. They had a good exciting alternative. No doubt less people sat private exams for schools they couldn't really afford as back up. Many of these from say Stained road will be very upset. They started a primary thinking they would get a particular secondary. That option went and now hey have lost Turing.
BTW I do think the link system was wrong. And I am not damping the academies but I can understand the disapointment. Should read damimg!

Strix, it may not be oversubscribed at the moment, but there is a bulge coming through that is so big that it is forecast to be soon full, even with TH.

But, children in Twickenham are free to go to Twickenham Academy. It is not oversubscribed. And it's not hard to get to. Just hop on the H22. Or the 481 from Teddington. Yet, no one wants to go there. The loss of Turing will force them. The school will benefit and the children will suffer.

Strix, some parents may think that way, but many others are well aware of the bulge of students coming through the system, and the need for all of our schools to provide quality school places to accommodate them. The addition of TH doesn't change that, it just takes some of the pressure off temporarily. Another new school is still needed in 2017.

Parents are supporting Turing because it keeps them out of the school places they don't want. And why not? Why should some children be subject to a lesser education because they have a substandard post code?

What we need is more QUALITY school places. If a school cannot perform, it should be shut down and not propped up, destroying children's futures along the way. The council/government should be ashamed of themselves. Putting schools before the children they are there to serve... seriously?

Strix, TH has always been clear about the need for people to support all of our local schools, because all of the places are needed, so I don't think some of those comments are particularly helpful.

... but hoped to get some within the next six months or so

This is the time of year that all schools recruit new staff. The adverts were due to go out shortly.

Nennypops, TH has a headteacher designate, which means he has been appointed but isn't in post yet. He still has a day-job.

You might be surprised at how much of the working hours put into setting up a free school is pro-bono. Just like Governors in open schools, most of the people involved in groups like this are working for free.

Nevertheless, the team have done a very good job at answering parents' questions about teaching methods, the curriculum etc, by email, at open evenings and through visits to local primaries. If you take the time to look you'll find the website very informative.

I'm guessing you're not local?