New Secondary Schools for Richmond 2

[BayJay]

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

Bayjay you say that strong schools build strong communities. Inmy view it is precisely the reverse: strong communities create strong schools. Catholic schools are effective because the community from which it draws (religious rather than postcode) is cohesive. Cohesive whether the student is English, polish, African or irish because they share a catholic - universal - creed, philosophy, faith and way of life.

florist strong communities do create strong schools and vice versa. Our community is very diverse and the local community school's assembly looks like a UN assembly! The community has grown stronger accepting each others diversity and religious beliefs. The school prides on this family in which neighbours love and help each other. The family shares a global, tolerant and non discriminatory philosophy - the modern British way of life.

Akham spare you violently agreeing with me?

Akan so you are violently agreeing with me?

Bayjay why do you judge the motives for a
The catholic va option?

florist what i meant was that in reality it happens both ways strong communities help schools as well as schools help communities. In my experience our school has helped build a stronger community. I would be really concerned if a religiously exclusive school is set in my neighbourhood that discriminates pupils on the basis of religion. That would not build stronger local community infact it would divide it!

"why do you judge the motives for the catholic va option?"

I assume you mean "why do you say the motives for choosing the VA option are only related to the admissions criteria?". If you have evidence to the contrary I'd be happy to hear it, but its certainly not being denied by the Diocese or the Council.

The admissions criteria of new schools is the Catholic church's only remaining publicly declared objection to the academy model. The church has been lobbying the government to create a VA Academy model that would allow them to bypass the 50:50 rule, but have so far been unsuccesful.

Existing VA schools in the Diocese of Westminster are consulting on converting to Academy status (through which process they can keep their existing admissions criteria). LBRuT council want all borough schools to convert to Academy status, including the VA schools. The obvious model for any new school at Clifden is an Academy.

Akhan what a great way of putting it and I couldn't agree with you more. In London so many of us come from somewhere else. It was only when I had a child that I rediscovered the strength and generosity of a local community and it really took off with the school links..

muminlondon, akhan I agree with you both.

When I first moved "down south", fresh from university, I lived in Guildford where I felt much more conscious of my elsewhere-accent and non-home-counties roots. Moving to Twickenham felt much more comfortable because everyone I met was from somewhere else. I was working/commuting at the time, so didn't really notice the community very much, but that all changed when I had children. Now I do feel part of a very strong local community, based around ante-natal groups, pre-school activites and primary school networks. That has led me to become more active in my community too, on both a borough level and a street level (we had a cracking street-party for the Royal Wedding, and the Borough of Richmond had the highest number of party applications in the country, indicative of a good strong sense of community generally). I would like that sense of community to continue as my children move on to secondary school. When I see my children's friends drifting away because of house-move decisions based on future school-place provision (generally combined with a dose of parking angst), it saddens me.

Florist, from paragraph 21 of this document "The Director stated that the Archdiocese was not seeking to open a faith academy as this would limit the number of places they could reserve for Catholic children.", and later in the same section: "Faith academies were currently not welcomed by any Roman Catholic Archdiocese Board, as they limited the number of faith places. This was expected to change in the future when various issues had been resolved between them and the government."

I would be keen on getting more views from those living on Clifden Road and neighbouring streets on the impact of the proposed Catholic VA school on their community. I believe that they have a very close knit community. Both Catholic and non Catholic neighbours are very nervous about a divisive proposal. Maybe people who live further afield should consider the impact on Clifden community harmony

Jeev, I know several people living in and around Clifden road, and you're right that they are unhappy about what is going on. They are intelligent and vocal people and are communicating their views quite strongly to their councillors.

I just noticed an advert for the Maharishi Free School in the Primary Times (which covers south-west London and is distributed via schools, libraries etc). It says "If you live in Richmond Borough you can register today". Am I being pedantic, or does that fly in the face of the Greenwich Judgement? If I lived in another borough and was naiive about these things I might see that and think I couldn't register for the school (which is close to the borough boundary).

BayJay: you are right as usual; it also contradicts their admission policy which states Any pupil will be admitted . . If oversubscribed they will use distance.

People in Clifden catchment have expressed concerns but are not getting proper support from their local councillors - especially in the Twickenham Riverside and surrounding wards. Especially one of them is very anti inclusive education and supports this Divide and Rule policy. Others who seem to be sympathetic at best, seem to have been ineffective in influencing their leadership team.

Akhan: your neighbours who live in West and North Twickenham, Whitton, Heathfield (and indeed Ham) are, I trust, getting a sympathetic if powerless response from their Lib Dem councillors? Cllr Malcolm Eady, Fulwell & Hampton Hill, is the Lib Dem schools spokesperson and leads on this issue.

The residents of Riverside ward did, in their infinite wisdom, throw out their Lib Dem councillors in what had been a strong Lib Dem ward - now they see the consequences, like them or not.

Unfortunately this issue has become part of the party battle and the Tories have closed ranks solidly behind their leaders so far. Do keep pestering them however, as it my have an effect eventually.

We hear that Cllr Sam Salvoni is selling up her shop and will move to Cornwall in the New Year, which will mean a by-election in Riverside ward - which will be a hard fought contest. If anyone would like to stand for the Lib Dems (our defeated Cllrs have all retired) please contact us on [email protected]

From the latest RISC newsletter: ? . . Free Schools: The Council says there are currently three potential proposals for Free Schools in the borough. The Department for Education - not the Council - will decide which, if any, will go ahead. The national success rate for 2011 applicants (schools opening in 2012) was 1 in 5. The previous year it was 1 in 10. The only proposer to have gone public so far is the Maharishi School, where use of the Council's Oldfield House site in Hampton is proposed for a two form of entry, all-through school . . ?

Just wondered if anyone could kindly have a go at answering this for me (or direct me to relv bits of this topic):

Will catchments shrink nearer to schools under a new linkless system? We live the green end of Twickenham and our DS will be in the first affected year if plans go through, and we'd like him to go to Orleans? There are so many variables to consider (and im no flow-chart, stats analyst, maths gal). Thanks very much

PS ''The tower blocks of Ham are the most shocking - go and have a look sometime. At one time the bus drivers refused to go there because the kids had taken to stoning the buses.'' Involvement with politics doesn't necessarily make one a diplomat then? But nevermind Ham's outside one's constituency.

PhyllisDietrichson: the article Abolishing the ?linked schools? system: who gains? who loses? A forecast for Orleans Park (LD website Oct 10) is the only published forecast of what may happen:

? . . 2. Pupils who were at one of the former link schools but live more than about 1.5 km away would definitely not get into OPS. Matthew Paul [the Council officer who oversees admissions] suggests that north St Margaret's "should be" within the catchment, but I don't think he has taken into account the expected large number of applications from parents of children at the Vineyard (not currently linked) and also people who move into the area near the school - just as people do to get into Orleans Infant School. Demographic changes are predicted further to impact on places. I therefore believe that people north of the A316 with children at link schools have real grounds for apprehension . .?

The changes will occur over several years so your DS may be alright in the first year of no links.

Akhan: your neighbours who live in West and North Twickenham, Whitton, Heathfield (and indeed Ham) are, I trust, getting a sympathetic if powerless response from their Lib Dem councillors?

Chris I think Akhans catholic and non catholic neighbours in Whitton and Heathfield will be non too impressed with their Lib dem councillors stance on the secondary school issue for the following reasons:-

1)because if another community school (or 50/50 academy) is created on the Clifden site it potentially will seriously damage the continued progress of their local school 'Twickenham academy' as it will impact on their intake and subsequently their funding.
2)because if this is not a Catholic VA school few of the children in this area have any hope at all of getting into a small school in central Twickenham which will only serve those living in central Twickenham.
3)because Whitton and Heathfield contain one of the largest Catholic communities in the borough whose children are currently having to travel out of borough to get school places (mostly if they are lucky to Hounslow but with its 40% increase in birthrate it is already becoming much harder to gain seondary school places in its catholic secondaries)
4) becuase Whitton and Heathfield tax payers must surely be wondering why the Lib dem party are supporting a campaign (RISC) that does not in any way support or benefit any of the members of this local community in its proposals. They must be in fact asking why the proposal for another community school in a such a small area that is already served by 3 other 'inclusive' schools (two of which are reported to be some of the most outstanding schools in the borough)?
With the abolition of the link school system some local Whitton children will already lose a choice let alone have access to 4 choices.

because if another community school (or 50/50 academy) is created on the Clifden site it potentially will seriously damage the continued progress of their local school 'Twickenham academy' as it will impact on their intake and subsequently their funding
Mir4, I really don't believe that will happen. The success or otherwise of Twickenham Academy is dependent on Twickenham Academy, and is not dependant on other schools. Now that they are sponsored by Kunskappskolan they have an innovative, progressive system that will attract children from far and wide. There are already very positive reports from parents. As soon as the new building is complete (2 years), the new methods start feeding through into exam results, and we start seeing articles in the local paper about able TA children doing their GCSEs one or two years early, they will be inundated with applications. All of that will happen unless the school is badly managed, and I don't think Kunskappskolan and the council will let it be. If the unthinkable happens, and the improvements don't translate into better results, then the school will not fill. That won't be because there aren't enough children to fill it, but because people will move house or go private to avoid it.

If the Clifden Road school is a community school, it will also fill. The forecasts show that there are more than enough children to fill both schools.

There are also more than enough Catholic children in St Margarets, Twickenham and Whitton to fill the school.

I dont believe that twickenham academy will remain undersubsribed by 2013. Hence there will be a need for new school. Reading both bayjay and seenbutnotheard posts it seems that there will be more demand than supply available - no one from this end wants to trek all the way to RPA in 2013. But since we will have only 1 site and funding for only 1 school - why should 1 group get the privilege at the expense of others - especially the large population of non Christian minority groups in our wards. A Catholic VA school will break community relations - councillor from both parties need to recognise and speak up - they are not there to just report on broken trees!

Infact I should have said take action and not just speak up - we have heard lot of talk already. Issue is that the party that has majority can bully through any proposal, when there should be some sort of independent and objective review of such a controversial proposal. I also saw that even the scrutiny committee has majority of Tory councillors - so how effective can that be?

Akhan - the majority rules, that is the way of our political system, both at national and local level.

In light of this, I am really pleased that the significant minority that is the Catholic population are being listened to in terms of local policy.

I think we have already established that the only minority group that has the numbers in our borough to consitently (and more than) fill a school is Catholic, otherwise we may well have been having the same discussion as our neighbouring boroughs who are proposing, for example, a Muslim school, as they have the numbers to sustain it.

I also, in the longer term, do not believe, for one minute that a Catholic VA school will "break community relations".

It has not done so with the large number of Catholic primary schools, so why should it do so with the establishment of a secondary school? That, to me, makes no sense at all.