The above is self-reporting from a group who set up a campaign for a secondary free school a year ago. She does not want her children going to the secondary school on offer within walking distance of her home as she and some of the original campaign team, most of whom are now not on it, think the people going there are not their type.
At the beginning of 2014 the campaign relaunched with a new campaign to include a primary school with the secondary. They have made claims that they have the "right to fight" for land which has already been earmarked by Camden for 420 primary school places.
The campaign knew well that there is no statistical evidence to say a secondary school is needed now. They want it by 2015 as some of the campaigners children are due to start secondary school not long after.
The campaign has no approval, no funding and no site and are doing all the can to attempt to block the 420 school places planned for a primary in 2016. They say they want to replace those and have a secondary buit seven years before it is needed.
Basically, the campaign has been based on self-interest and they have slagged off local schools and have even made damaging claims in published media. They constantly make claims to undermine Camden yet most of the original campaigners currently send their children to the local Camden primary and benefit from this Outstanding Ofsted rated school.
Of 23 original team members we now find days after their submission to the DfE that the team is now less than ten with very few of the original team.
This free school campaign has consisted of the most extravagant and misleading claims from the start and they were forced to petition across four boroughs to drum up their evidence of demand for a local school in West Hampstead.
My guess is the 1600 pupil school they have applied for as parent-led will be rejected and they will then revert to the original plan, the campaign for the smaller secondary they originally wanted. But those primary signatures of support were useful for publicity.
There is a genuine need for primary school places in NW6 so it is best that The experts, Camden, be allowed to forge ahead with their guaranteed 420 primary school places.
The campaigners will continue their church going etc out of borough as many have started the queue for the pew in a new church as the local church is now surplus to requirements for those who have already used it for their primary kids.