New Secondary Schools for Richmond 2

[BayJay]

I'm starting this new thread because the other one of the same name has filled up.

I can't understand how the application can be allocated funding if there is no suitable site available
Lottie, most Free School applicants won't have a site secured, because they're not allowed to enter negotiations about sites. See Section H of this doc. Its worth reading the whole section, but I'll pull out this quote because its particularly relevant to your concern:
"We would like to know where you would prefer your school to be. In your application you should include details of up to two preferred sites that your proposed school could potentially open on. However, not having a preferred site at this stage will not affect your application."

This week's Richmond and Twickenham Times also has the formal publication of the Diocese of Westminster's VA School Proposals, on Page 48.

Just adding a top-level link to the Sixth form Proposals that Muminlondon mentioned in her last post.

BayJay so Lord True now has to decide whether to give Clifden Road for a Catholic VA school or the Free School for Twickenham. And as per the consultation doc that decision will be taken in the Council meeting in May

Hi Bay Jay, yes I understand that it wouldn't affect your free school application at the first stage but worried that it might later on in the process when they start to look for sites with you and realise that they are not easy or cheap to come by around here. Frustrating to see this large site in Twickenham is apparently going to be sold for housing. I love their suggestions for some of the places you should investigate as possible sites for a school - I don't think there are many fire stations or territorial army barracks lying idle round here where you could squeeze in nearly a thousand teenagers. I suppose they are thinking of smaller primary schools.

akhan, not exactly. The council have to decide a) Whether or not to accept the Diocese's proposal for a VA school, and b) Whether Clifden Road is the right location for that. They won't be making any decisions about individual Free schools - that's the Government's job. However, if they decide not to put the VA school on it then it will be empty and potentially available for an approved Free School to use.

Lottie, try not to worry so much. :)

The sixth form link was from ChrisSquire.

I like the idea but it will depend on how good the teachers are in each subject/school. If schools can manage to accommodate small groups in less popular but core academic subjects (e.g. just three or four pupils opting for German/Latin/Music A-level) then there are benefits. I don't know about the finances.

Cllr Jeremy Elloy (Lib Dem, Fulwell and Hampton Hill) wrote to the RTT in December:
? . . My main concern is that the Administration has misled the borough's parents and children on exactly what is proposed, and the debate did nothing to reassure me. In fact, judging by the misleading statements coming out of their spokespersons, I think that residents of the borough have grounds for serious alarm.
The Administration is conveying the impression that what they expect to be on offer in borough secondary schools is the Sixth Form associated with traditional Grammar Schools that I and my generation attended over 40 years ago. These offered a full curriculum: Classics; Latin; Literature; Modern Languages; the complete range of Mathematics; the Sciences and the Humanities.
Well, they may wish to think that, but they are completely wrong. These Sixth forms will have very limited funds available and will be able to offer only a few core subjects, and those children who do attend them will find their options severely constrained. Any parent who felt that their child was going to get a traditional Sixth Form education at these schools would rightly feel extremely cheated and unhappy.
. . The Administration also skates conveniently over who it expects to attend these Sixth Forms. Speaking as a parent I know that my children had had enough of school by the time they had finished their GCSEs. While one might wish one's offspring to do one's bidding there is no guarantee that they will oblige you, and most parents will agree that little is achieved by sending your child to an institution against his or her wish. I don't see that there has been any meaningful consultation of our schoolchildren about how they should be educated - post GCSE - and this really is an unforgivable error and shows an utter disregard for the opinion and good sense of our young people . .?

The idea of Sixth Forms is very popular with parents (including me). I don't recognise the 'grammar school' model of 40 years ago that Cllr Elloy describes, because I'm from a different generation to him. All of the comprehensives in the town where I grew up had Sixth Forms. We also had a Sixth Form college in the town, so that children had a choice. The school sixth forms concentrated on core academic subjects, and the college had a wider curriculum.

I don't know about grammar schools but at the comprehensive I went to there were no more than four pupils in any of the subjects I took. Only about 25% of pupils had passed five o-levels and not all stayed on. In music and history in my year it was one-to-one tuition. Mind you, I think there was a big shake-up several years later and sixth forms were amalgamated ....

If the sixth form provision isn't adequate parents will find alternative schools.

Well other boroughs seem to manage it, and if all of the schools, and the college, collaborate on a collegiate approach then there's no reason why the initiative shouldn't be a success. The cost is a worry, especially if its at the expense of providing much needed extra places, but I wouldn't like to see our existing secondaries increase their y7 intake. They're big enough already.

With regard to decision on Clifden Road site, RISC has made a crucial point in their latest newsletter.
" A letter in the Richmond & Twickenham Times from the "New Local School for Twickenham Steering Group" www.richmondinclusiveschools.org.uk/files/view/press-cuttings/RTT_2_Mar_12_-_letter_from_New_Local_School_for_Twickenham.jpg confirms that their proposal - which is for a 150 place/year inclusive secondary Free School - received more than enough support to make a bid. They're open-minded on sites, but have made no secret of their interest in Clifden Road - which is th...e only suitable site currently available.
This raises an important question: the Council plans to make a decision on whether or not to give Clifden Road to the Church for its VA schools on 24th May. It also says it supports Free Schools. But the government will not decide which Free School proposals will go ahead until the Summer (June at the earliest). Everyone knows the Council wants a Catholic school. But if they're serious about supporting Free Schools, then they should not pre-empt the use of the site for an inclusive Free School/Academy by making the Council's decision before the government's decision "

Surely if Michael Gove approves the science & engineering academy over the other free school proposals, it would at least keep pressure on the council to find an alternative site (although perhaps not for 2013 opening). The starting position was to have two new schools. Both council and DfE decisions would need to be clearly justified to the public.

muminlondon - It will be a shame if the free school gets approval for 2013 (they have shown the demand) and then has no site because the Council gave it away for Catholic VA school.

I think that BayJay has already indicated that there are other possible sites - we could have the best of both worlds could we not - both a Catholic and other school.
I know that this will not please those of you who just do not want a Catholic VA school, regardless of other provision, but the children of the borough, Catholic or not would be pleased.

I think the major sticking point for the Free School Application is that the Govt are unlikely to give consent if to do so would be detrimental to schools that already exist - and this is what is being stated by the council - to open a Free School before 2015 would mean that the Academies that are trying hard to improve will struggle to fill their places.

Asking the council to mothball Clifden Road until 2015 is not on.

I can see your point about the timing seenbutnotheard.

But I think it would be better value to have one effective mainstream school than two small niche ones providing the same number of places but perhaps only drawing from those who move to Richmond just to access those niche schools (as opposed to residents transferring from Richmond primary schools, including those who are opting for the private sector through lack of quality options -which splits the community.) And even though I have had doubts about free schools generally it's the only way now for community schools to be set up.

From Appendix A Capital Programme 2011/12 - 2016/17 Council Feb 28 I have extracted these numbers for the 5 years 2012/13 - 2016/17:

Spending totals £m:

New secondary/SEN school places & 6th forms ?up to? 34
Academies 27
Primary places phases 1&2 20
Primary places phase 3 16
Environment 13
Environment new 18
Housing 8
Other 7
--
5 year total 143

To be financed by £m:

Borrowing 56
Capital grants 55
Capital receipts 21
Other 11
--
5 year total 143

Council rejected a Lib Dem amendment proposed by Cllr Stephen Knight to cancel the 6th form programme and use the £25 million? it costs to provide extra secondary school places, either through a new inclusive secondary school or the expansion of existing schools.

? of which 'up to £6 million' was in 2011/12 and has been spent. The 'up to' phrase is a fig leaf to conceal the price of the Clifden Road site, known to councillors but so far amazingly unleaked to the public who are paying for it. £15 million is a reasonable guess, I think ( = 'up to £40 million' total for new 2ndary schemes - the published £25 million total for the 6th forms).

to open a Free School before 2015 would mean that the Academies that are trying hard to improve will struggle to fill their places

Seenbutnotheard, don't forget that the council has assumed there will be at least 100 free school places in its own forecast, so they are relying on either our school or the Maharishi one being approved, along with their many other assumptions, e.g. the go-ahead of the so-far unfunded North Kingston school, and reductions in applications from out-of-borough. Clifden Road may not be their preferred site for a free school, but they support the idea of free schools in principle.

I don't think that I have said that the council do not support the idea of Free Schools have I? But you are right, I don't think that they would support one at this time, on this site.

My understanding is that you are wanting to work with, rather than against the council from the feedback I have had from some people involved in your application.

I honestly think that, with the exception of those that are against the option of a Catholic school full stop, there is a wonderful opportunity for both 'sides' to be happy.

SeenButNotHeard, I agree they'd prefer it not to be at Clifden, but I don't think they'd argue with the timing. As I said, their own forecast is relying on at least 100 Free School places from September 2013. It wouldn't be sensible to wait until later because the Free School funding is front-loaded. Once it's gone, it's gone, and who knows what will happen to the policy after the next election.

We've expressed a preference for Clifden beacuse its the best site we know about, but there are other potential options, and ultimately it will be in the hands of the Government. If the VA school doesn't go ahead at Clifden, then the site will be available to others. If it does, then it won't.

I feel that it will be pre-mature for the Cabinet to decide on 24 May on Clifden Road. It should wait till the results of all Free school applications to make the decision on use of Clifden Road.

All along it said we cant take decision on Clifden till we know outcome of Gove's decision on Catholic VA school. So why cant it wait another month for Gove's decision on free schools as well to make this decision ? It will be in a better informed position to match exactly all the demand for schools with the existing supply of sites ?

That will be the most honest and credible and fair way of making a decision. Else we shall again see double standards and shady closed door dealing from the Council.

St James' RC Primary in Twickenham gets a mention at the end of this Guardian article.

That's interesting given that St James' is the school that is predicted to produce the highest number of children going to the new Catholic VA school at Clifden. It's hardly surprising that the most struggling and chaotic families locally are not able to send their children to Catholic primaries given the hoops that you seem to have to jump through to demonstrate that you are a Catholic ie. regular church attendance for a number of years or arrival from a Catholic country. You need to be quite together to secure your child a place in reception.

You don't have to be that organised to be fair - just attend church on a Saturday at 18:00 or Sunday at 09:30 or 11:15 or 18:00.

I agree, that it used to be the case that you had to be more involved in other things too, but this has been dropped for most schools now because that was deemed to be unfair on some.

I had made this point in my letter to RTT (published on 24 Feb) . Relevant extract
" The proposed Catholic VA schools could further aggravate the inequality of opportunities for non catholic minorities and people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Richmond. This is against fundamental human minority rights. The hallmark of a good democracy is not to create an advantage for a minority group (in this case the majority minority group) at the detriment of other minority groups. The number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds is in high double digits in many local primary schools near Clifden Road ? (highest is 34% in Heathfield Jr, Heathfield infant, Nelson primary, Stanley, Hampton Jr, Buckinghham, Darell primary, Holy Trinity, Meadlands, St Richards) Free school meals across all Richmond state secondary?s is 16.2% and 25% in the 3 academies. A Catholic VA secondary could only have 3.8% if it draws from Richmond Catholic primaries and create further unequal opportunities for the people with disadvantaged backgrounds"

Ofcourse if majority of intake is from St James, the FSM in a Catholic free school will be closer to 1 %