Merton: dumbing-down Dundonald Primary School?

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1. Merton Council's consultation process regarding the proposed expansion of Dundonald Primary School(DPS) has now commenced and information can be obtained from their website or that of DPS. The Council has distributed a leaflet to residents for feedback and is due to hold a public meeting on Wednesday 8 June.

1. Disappointingly, the Conservatives, LibDems and Independents have been very quiet on the issue. The Labour Party has given out letters supporting the proposed expansion and, to his credit, Cllr Walker has had the courage to put his personal credibility on the line given his close involvement with the campaign. However, threatening parents/carers that they will have to take their children to school in Morden if the Council doesn't get its way seems a little extreme. Frankly, parents don't care how far they travel if their children can attend an outstanding state school.

1. It seems that the governors of DPS only agreed to an expansion programme on condition that the Council provided more space. The governors knew that this was impossible for the Council to achieve because of the existence of the restrictive covenant concerning the neighbouring park (see the petition on the Council website).

1. The proposal to double the size of DPS, starting with the temporary bulge class, has caused much concern to parents of pupils at the school as witnessed by DPS being forced to issue an explanatory letter and Q&A to try and quell those fears.

1. DPS is a popular school because it had an outstanding rating from Ofsted following the last inspection and it is the ideal size. It currently has around 250 pupils which is the average number for a primary school in England. If it doubles in size, parents fear that standards may slip. Merton has 40+ primary schools of which only 6 were rated outstanding and the majority of those were 1FE schools ie similar number of pupils to DPS.

1. Parents are also worried by the disruption to their children's education that will occur once construction begins on such a small and restricted site with all the attendant health and safety issues.

1. The school currently enjoys a harmonious relationship with the neighbouring community which might not survive if the Council's plans prevail.

1. Somewhat surprisingly, the Council's consultation process takes no account of ethnic diversity.

Please feel free to forward this to and/or discuss the contents with any parents of pupils at Dundonald Primary School who may have concerns about the Council's plans and say NO to the proposal.

PAGE - Parents AGainst Expansion

HaydonWomble Oh, if you do, please update the thread. I'd love to know how many PE lessons / other school events they've disrupted, too...

Thank goodness sense has prevailed at long last. I live close by and many of my neighbours - the ones who don't have young children, naturally - are against the expansion, but everyone else is in favour. Others, like me, who aren't affected by the school place shortage but who have sympathy for those who are, are pro expansion. Let's hope it all goes through quickly and smoothly and that the disgraceful intimidation stops.

Common sense has finally prevailed - great news for the whole community around Dundonald Rec.

It is such a shame that the Save the Rec (aka Dundonald Rec tennis group) have made this drag on for so long. So many local families have missed out on sending their children to Dundonald Primary during this time. So incredibly selfish.

It is so disturbing to hear about this group's behaviour, especially how they have prevented kids' PE lessons, shouted at teachers - as well as their wider intimidating behaviour (do a Google search and/or FOI request and you'll see it's gone on for years).

I hope the Council can recover legal costs against this group.

Has it? I thought the latest appeal was on Friday. And there's something on the Save Our Rec website about further appeals if that fails...

This article suggests that this Friday could be the end of the line:

www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/wimbledonnews/11462429.Court_showdown_over_primary_school_expansion_plan_into_park/

However, given the form of this group it would be no surprise to see them continue to thwart local kids going to their local school. If it did continue to drag on for months and months then that would start to throw into doubt the September 2015 intake.

It seems as if common sense has finally prevailed here. Let's hope this is the end of it for the sake of all local-to-Dundonald-School families.

Great news!
Although, of course, PDR says that it is launching an injunction (based on a thoroughly biased, incomplete and incorrect reading of Mr Justice King's verdict) and the right to appeal. I sincerely hope that this will not be a (further) deterrent for the council to start the works asap so that the new building is ready for the Sep'15 intake.

From a resume report in the WimbledonSW19 newsletter this week:

"...Merton Council cabinet member for education Councillor Martin Whelton said: “We are delighted with the judge’s decision to allow us to provide more school places at the outstanding Dundonald School. We were only able to offer places to pupils living within 106 metres of the school this year. We will now be able to make sure many more children will be able to have a great start to their education at one of our best schools.

“We hope for work to start shortly and will keep residents in the surrounding roads and parents up to date on what is happening with regards to the works. I welcome the expansion and look forward to seeing the opening of new school and community facilities in the months to come.”

But Lorraine Maries, Chairman of Protect Dundonald Rec, said: "Merton Council managed to use a legal technicality to over-ride the original covenant protecting the Rec. Now they have played the system in order to get away with environmental vandalism. How can anyone trust a council which is prepared to resort to deceit and misrepresentation to remove public rights?”

"legal technicality" = decisions of High Court judges

"environmental vandalism" = extra tennis court, bigger public playground, nice new pavilion and loss of a tiny bit of green space and an under-used bowling green (of which there is another, just down Mostyn Road)

"deceit and misrepresentation" = Save Our Rec still don't believe the Wimbldeon baby / pre-schooler boom exists and thinks that no more Reception places are needed. But you only need to look at the steep fall in furthest offer of a place at the school (down from 250m to 106m in the last few years) to know demand is rising.

Phew, glad its all over, and hopefully no four year old 110m from Dundonald will end up travelling half way across the borough to Liberty school next year.

twitter.com/Dundonaldsports/status/514376633391009792/photo/1

This isn't a final stand, is it??? If so, they're not taking it lying down are they???

Well they've given up on the school angle but are still campaigning away. They've got a 'protest' meeting going on today???

Hmm, it's sorely tempting to take down all those illegal fly posters advertising the protest they've scattered around, but I think it's probably better to act like a grown-up and just to leave them to it.

Yes, I walked past earlier. Plenty of littered posters on the floor So much for their lovely rec space if they treat it like that.

www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/11492805.Campaigners_call_for_greater_protection_of_public_open_spaces_after_losing_legal_battle/

www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/11471272.Building_work_can_begin_on_Dundonald_Primary_after_judge_decision_today/

www.fixmystreet.com/report/526705

www.fixmystreet.com/report/527859

More self-centred bullshit from Ernesto Pinto, who can't be bothered to walk to nearby John Innes Park to get his tennis fix, even if it means local children have to travel to Mitcham to get their education.

www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/news/11507833.Tennis_club__shocked__by_courts_closure/

Can see this is a very emotive issue, particularly for those living in the area around Dundonald Park but please don't make comments personal. Thanks!

It's undeniable that he refuses to walk 5min down the road to play tennis (for a few months only), and would rather see children travelling 3km twice a day to get their education.

That's just a statement of fact, it's what he's complaining about.

His argument is that his ability to play tennis as close as possible to his house is more important than the right of local children to get a good education within a reasonable distance of their home. He's the one making that argument, not me.

It makes you wonder if these NIMBYists ever had children????

Sighs...

That article is crackers!

That article, and all the others scattered around the local press websites, show what good PR can do. The council and those who support the expansion won the legal battle but lost the PR battle. Most local people who haven't been deeply involved think that it's the mean council bulldozing the tennis courts, bowling green and probably half the rose garden and that it's an unfair victory of The System over the little man.

All of which is highly irritating. But, in the end, the school is expanding and that's the most important thing.

One way or another, this one is just set to run and run....!

www.protectdundonaldrec.org/destruction-of-dundonald-rec-must-stop/

And so it goes on. The 'save the rec' group met with Eric Pickles this week to overturn the HIGH COURT decision to proceed with the Dundonald Rec plans. This is also despite the fact that construction is already progressing at pace.

What is so troubling amongst many things here is that the local MP Stephen Hammond continues to support this group. It was he who arranged the meeting and it's been he who has contributed to this saga being delayed for so many years, resulting in so many kids missing out on going to their local school (as well as of course the continued uncertainty over the rec).

This group has so much time on their hands and will never give up. So don't be surprised if somehow they delay construction again, throwing into doubt 2015 school places. This will have a knock on effect to Wimbledon Chase etc.

www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/wimbledonnews/11564056.Dundonald_Rec_campaigners_meet_Government_minister_in_last_ditch_attempt_to_reverse_council_decision/

Not only Stephen Hammond MP but also the local lib Dem candidate are anti-expansion (if you ask the right questions - ime both aren't open about it if they're not sure where you stand). Doesn't leave much choice when it comes to the election...

I sincerely hope they don't stop it now - according to the council there are predicted to be 70 children for whom there isn't a 2015 autumn Reception place, and that's assuming that Dundonald takes 60.

The title of this thread says it all really. These campaigners don't want local kids going to their local school because of a perception that they will dilute the good results and bring the house prices down. Nothing to do with losing a non-used bowling green. The building project is well underway and I hope it continues apace

This article shows the local Lib Dem candidate suggesting that the expansion is all due to Labour infighting.
www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/yoursay/letters/11563262.Letter_to_the_Editor__Labour_in_fighting_has_left_people_scrambling_for_school_places/

I think that the only local political party that has shown consistent good sense and a grasp of the realities of the situation has been Labour, in the form of Peter Walker. And I find it deeply disappointing that a) the Lib Dems are still going with the go back in time and find an alternative site / don't sell off school playing fields 'solution' and b) that their candidate is using the issue to try and grab local votes. I would have hoped they would think that local school places for 3/4 year olds were more important than getting NIMBY votes...

www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk/yoursay/letters/11563262.Letter_to_the_Editor__Labour_in_fighting_has_left_people_scrambling_for_school_places/