Richmond Borough Schools Chat 6

[BayJay2]

Hello! This is the latest thread in a series originally triggered by Richmond Council's Education White Paper in Feb 2011. We chat about local education policy, the local impact of national policy, local school performance, and admissions-related issues.

Please do join in. There’s a bunch of us who’ve been following the thread for a long time, and we sometimes get a bit forensic, but new contributions are always welcome.

If you have a few hours to spare and want to catch up on 4 years of local education history, then below are the links to the old threads. We have to keep starting new threads because each only hold 1000 posts. The first two run in parallel, as one was started on the national Mumsnet site, and the other locally:

1a) New Secondaries for Richmond Borough? (Feb 11 - Nov 11)
1b) New Secondary schools for Richmond! (Feb 11-Nov 11)

1. New Secondary Schools for Richmond 2 (Nov 11-May 12)
2. New Secondary Schools for Richmond 3 (May 12-Nov 12)
3. New Secondary Schools for Richmond 4 (Nov 12-Oct 13)

1. Richmond Borough Schools Chat 5 (Oct 13-Nov 14)
2. Richmond Borough Schools Chat 6 (Nov 14 - ????) : This thread!

Fair enough BayJay2, so we agree that they need to be taken into account as part of the decision making process.

"I doubt that any parents have [TA or HA] top of their list of choices"

You're wrong about that. See the 2014 application figures. HA got 100 first preferences and TA got 89. The numbers for 2015 aren't yet published, but in the meantime TA has had a positive Ofsted and both schools have new Heads. They're very much on the way up and are being well supported by local families. TH is needed in addition to them, not instead of them.

BayJay - Are those numbers from in-borough or out-of-borough? I was referring to the local parents.

So why not expand those schools?

Yes MrsSalvoMontalbano, perhaps that is what is already being planned.

Hightsma, you can't put a wall around the borough boundary (look up Greenwich Judgement for the background on why not). Out-borough applications are just as valid as in-borough applications, especially when schools are so close to the border.

MrsS - local secondary schools can't be further expanded because, having recently added sixth forms, they have no more space.

BayJay2, if Turing House is needed in addition to Twickenham Academy, why the 80:20 split?

Or maybe Twickenham Academy could have extra space.

www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/12927047.Whitton_Community_Centre_at_risk_unless_it_can_pay_full_rent/

BayJay2, you are absolutely right. Out-of-borough applications are just as valid. The Whitton site is located on the Hounslow Borough boundary isn't it.

Hightsma, the rationale for the TH admissions policy is on the school website.

The RTT Online has Russell School and Strathmore School to come together at purpose-built campus:

The Russell School will be demolished and redeveloped to create a new purpose-built campus which will also house Strathmore School. The proposals were approved by Richmond Council's planning committee at York House, Twickenham, on Wednesday, April 29 . . The plans . . are now subject to a stage two referral to the Greater London Assembly.

Maybe can the sixth forms? Plenty of space in other 6th forms - I heard RPA this year has only 30 this year - presume loss leader as not sustainable.

The TH website doesn´t really answer my question I´m afraid BayJay2. Perhaps someone here could explain it.

Did you look at this link Hightsma?: www.turinghouseschool.org.uk/admissionsrationale.php

Agreed, MrsSalvoMontalbano. Doesn´t make sense to prioritise sixth forms when additional yr7-11 school places are needed right across the borough.

Yes BayJay2, but doesn´t explain why if TA is full there is an 80:20 split.

Surely in that case, the demand is borough-wide.

Hightsma, as I see it, TH (and the council) identified an area of need – an area where secondary places are particularly thin on the ground and there is lack of choice. Made worse by rising primary school numbers and loss of the link system this area is fast becoming a “black hole” for school places. The local community supported the idea of the school and campaigned for it, without this parental support TH would not have got through the Free School application process. Regardless of where the school is finally located this area of need remains. TH also want to minimise their impact on other schools so have come up with an admissions point as far away from other schools as possible while still being in the identified location. The 80:20 split is designed to meet this need.

I shall be voting Conservative on Thurs, as ma in favour of free schools. However, would prefer to see them allocating places on distance, as this seems the only logical rationale, to minimise traffic.
And for a site to be identified before any other activity.
The whole TH situation seems utterly bonkers.
If a parents in Teddington want to set up a school in Teddington and identify a site - great - go for it! But if there is no site, then, tough - wait until there is one or stop right there, until a site becomes available..

TH can’t fix all the problems. It’s deigned to fix a particular issue in Fulwell. With REEC opening on the TA side of Twickenham then a larger % of places at a site in Whitton would result in a surplus of places in that area.

There are certainly pockets of demand across the borough, wherever people are on the edge of catchment for popular schools. Fulwell is one of those areas were demand is very strong. See here for more details. Without the support of people in that area the school wouldn't have got off the ground. Hence the ongoing commitment to serve that area.

Bluestars - The Whitton site - As far away from other schools as possible? Are you sure? Where is the data to back all of this up?

MrsSalvoMontalbano - Agreed, wait until there is a suitable site available in the area requiring the school. Lots of money and time wasted in the meantime.

bluestars - What is the particular issue in Fulwell that TH is designed to fix? Why is demand stronger there than Whitton? Surely there are families in both areas that are equidistant to TA.

Isn´t REEC in the North Twickenham/St Margaret´s ward and the Whitton site in the Heathfield Ward? They aren´t adjacent.

Maybe the ´black holes´ could be answered by Ringogo´s comment of ´just to keep the numbers down in the face of a rising birthrate...´Perhaps that is why a Whitton site is considered.

Hightsma - it explains on the TH website how they worked out the furthest point from the other schools. It also explains why choice in the Fulwell area is more restricted because of Waldegrave and how the loss of the link policy has made this worse.

How can you "wait until a suitable site is available"? TH has been searching for a site for 3yrs - there is no choice. Who is going to magic up a 12 acre plot that won't be snatched away for housing? And in the mean time kids still need to be educated. Maybe Vince's "build on the golf course" idea will take off ... and pigs might fly :)

I support TH and I'm very excited about it but I do think the whole Free School policy is bonkers.