Proposed New Secondary Free School Waterloo, SE1 London

[Looby4]

Oasis are proposing to open a brand new secondary school in the Waterloo/ North Lambeth area in September 2013. Please see www.oasiscommunityschool.org for further information or to register support online.

There are three upcoming consultation events:
Thursday 26th January 6.30-7.45pm at Archbishop Sumner Primary School, Reedworth Street, LONDON, SE1.
Wednesday 8th February 7.00pm-9.00pm at Coin Street Centre, Stamford Street, SE1
Friday 10th February 4.00-6.00pm and 7.00-9.00pm at Living Space, Coral Street, London SE1.

Where is the proposed site for this school?

Oasis are looking at a number of sites around Waterloo and North Lambeth; the intention is to create a community school (non-selective, co-ed) with four forms of entry for the Waterloo area. There is no community school in this area, so it will be located here.
The DFE ask Free School applicants not to begin negotations with leaseholders or to declare possible locations before the application for the school has been approved which would be June/ July this year.
Please do try and come along to one of the consultation meetings or keep an eye on the website www.oasiscommunityschool.org or the @oasisschoolSe1 Twitter feed for more news.

Didn't Lambeth decline to sell a site close to Waterloo to another Free School? The one that will now go to Tooting? It was on the old Lillian Baylis site. This was on the grounds that the urgent school pressure in Lambeth is on primary school places, a view supported by many parents.

You're right, there is a shortage of primary places in Lambeth and these children will be in secondary school within a few years. 45% of secondary aged school children travel out of the borough in Lambeth, away from their family, primary school friends and family. The idea here is to create a small, local school where every child is known, where they can stay with their peer group, and where the gains made in primary school can be continued in Y7-8 rather than the all too common dip in attainment at this age. This proposal has the backing of the local councillors.
The proposed 16-19 provision will focus on routes into employment, working in partnership with small and medium sized enterprises, as well as the many multinational corporations on the South Bank.

45% of secondary age children in Lambeth are educated outside the borough? Are you sure? Since 2 new schools have opened, E Grace and Elm Green? Where do they go? Not Southwark, presumably. I know some from N Lambeth go to Pimlico and Grey Coats, but are you saying that along with
?Archbishop Tenison's
?Bishop Thomas Grant RC

?Charles Edward Brooke
?Dunraven
?The Elmgreen School
?Evelyn Grace Academy
?La Retraite RC Girls'
?Lilian Baylis
?Lambeth Academy
?London Nautical
?Norwood School
?St Martin in the Fields Church of England school
?Stockwell Park school
There are the equivalent of 45% of all those yearly intakes travelling outside the borough?

I can imagine that the majority of privately educated children are sent out of Lambeth, I can only think of one private secondary.

I like the sound of a smaller school, many parents in the N of the borough feel unhappy with current options, and I bet the families in N Southwark would be pleased and flock in!

The information in This link suggests that there are 233 pupils / 2.5% above the capacity of secondary school places in Lambeth. However, there are 911 SURPLUS or unused places in schools on the borough (9.7%)! Anyway, nowhere near 45%.

This would suggest that there schools that parents choose not to send children to even though there is a place. Wouldn't it be better to improve the schools so that parents and children fill the existing spaces before building new schools? Especially when there is such a shortage of primary places?

I can see the attraction of a school in the N of the borough because of the distance criteria in admissions procedures (will you have that??) but otherwise the bus journey half way accross the borough isn't that onerous given the frequecny and choice of bus services in Lambeth. Children in suburban and rural areas have much greater journeys.