Heber is to have a bulge class

[EDmummy]

Shame most of these school sites are so small! Growing up, my primary school had loads of open space and I feel immense guilt looking at the lack of open space my children have.

[ClareC]

Princess Wrote:

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> Sounds good to me. I don't think Heber Road (or

> my wall) can possibly take any more cars, parents

> and kids at drop off and pick up times.

I have yet to experience the school stress issue, my daughter is only 3 months. From what I have read on here the catchment area for the most popular schools is tiny, 500 m max..... If this is the case why the need for cars to drop off/pick up? I suppose it may be child minder's and parents en route to work ..... Not intending to make a stand, just interested if there really are a large proportion of children driven to school?

[Fuschia]

ClareC Wrote:

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From what I have

> read on here the catchment area for the most

> popular schools is tiny, 500 m max..... If this is

> the case why the need for cars to drop off/pick

> up? I suppose it may be child minder's and parents

> en route to work ..... Not intending to make a

> stand, just interested if there really are a large

> proportion of children driven to school?

a) Catchment areas used to be BIG, Heber was in special measures and very unpopular (hence why Y5 and Y6 are only half full)

b) Families move

c) People drop their children then drive into work (or come from work)

b) and c) apply to our fanily... two days a week I drive to drop off my son at Heber... the rest of the time he walks or goes by bus (we live a mile away now)

Nowt wrong with driving as long as you park legally and considerately... I can think of maybe 5/6 children in my son's class I see being driven... and for the reasons I suggest. So I don't think it's a large proportion... but probably lower for Heber than many schools (high % of stay at home, work at home, flexible working parents)

[mrs.lotte]

Fuschia I can see you are an LEA person and clearly understand how the criteria are deployed. I'm a bit confused re the 80 people put Heber as there first choice and therefore as there are 90 places they will have all got it, although it may be that I have mis-interpreted this. Surely if you live in, say Camberwell, and put it as your first choice this doesnt overide the allocation by fulfilment of criteria in order. My understanding was that where you put your order of preference was, largely, neither here nor there, it was fulfilment of criteria that mattered. It seems amazing that everyone who put it as first choice fulfilled the criteria. Could the figures mean that, of the 90 allocated places, 80 had put as first choice?

No vested interest; my son is Goose Green, happy and proud. Just genuinally curious!

I do wish everyone good luck with securing a local place this year. It does look like the early provision of bulge classes may save a lot of heartache while waiting for shakedown.

[malcol]

Goodrich School took on a bulge class last year and as far as I can tell it really hasn't had a negative impact on the school or the children. This year Goodrich has close to 120 pupils in its reception year. My son is in Reception at Goodrich and loves it. He feels safe and secure and is not even aware that he attends a school with the largest primary school role in Southwark!

If taking on an extra class for Heber means that more local children are provided with a local school then the community as a whole should support this and the school!

Good luck to you all with securing a place locally.

M

[katgod]

Echoing what Fuschia says - i think my son is the year below hers, and i can only think of 2 children in his class driven to school. So as time goes on there should be less cars.

The issue of parents sitting on Princess's wall - sadly there will be inconsiderate people in any group. Some of the houses are real sun traps at pick up time, which no doubt makes it appealing to wait there. I am not one of those sitting on your wall Princess.

[Princess]

thanks katgod. ;-)

[Vick]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is a bulge class?

[Fuschia]

Someone said does this mean normal admissions criteria would be suspended just in favour of those who put Heber first... no, it wouldn't. Last year all Heber places went to siblings etc and to those for whom Heber is the closest school. Noone got in last year afaik on the straight distance criteria.

[Curmudgeon]

So Fuschia you're saying that all children in reception in Heber this year are younger siblings of children already in the school. Really? You sure about that?

[Fuschia]

Curmudgeon Wrote:

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> So Fuschia you're saying that all children in

> reception in Heber this year are younger siblings

> of children already in the school. Really? You

> sure about that?

I didn't say that at all.. I said after siblings etc, they only got as far as the "children for whom Heber is the closest school" criteria (with a distance of 611m IIRC)

They didn;t get as far as the "distance to the school" criteria *where another Southwark school is closer

I did a FOI request and got5 this info last yearbut I think it might be in this year's booklet anyway

Last year allk the NURSERY places did go to siblings, I was told

[Curmudgeon]

aha misread - sorry - carry on :))

[Fuschia]

I have looked at the booklet, it says 22 places/60 went to siblings. If I read it right it also says all valid applications were successful (doesn't give a distance) but I am not sure I trust that info... though that may have come about later, after the FOI request I did... just doesn't seem likely or in line with what people posted on here.

Anyway, we will hear soon enough how this year's applicants have fared.

[toast]

All september nursery places went to siblings. However as Heber stopped having full time nursery places they were able to offer extra part time places so there were plenty of places in Januarys intake..... I think.

[ClareC]

Thanks Fuschia, that makes sense :-) Hadn't thought of people moving house....

Must say, the schools situation sounds horrendous!! I am really close to Heber (can see it out the window!) and down the road from Goodrich, sounds as though getting a place at one of the two closest schools is a gamble if this problem continues!

How early do you need to apply for the nurseries (even given the unlikelihood of getting a place!)?

[Fuschia]

Apply to nursery via the school when they're 2.

Pop in with the birth cert. I'd apply to both

[prdarling]

Vick

a bulge class is an extra class of 30 children added to the Recetion year, due to ED (and other) schools being drastically short of spaces

Last year Goodrich which normally has 90 kids in Reception, had 120

This year Heber which normally has 60 kids wil have 90 and so on

Helps to ease the panic in the short term but in the long term it won't really help as the schools that bulged last year will probably have heaps more siblings this year but are back down to their original number of places...

We just need more schools

[James Barber]

Yesterday evening Heber School held a parents evening to talk about the possible bulge class that now appears 99% certain.

This is what I've had reported to me.

10 parents attended plus school senior staff and some governors.

Apparently many points of detial about how it would work - school drop off, xmas plays.

Points clarifying:

- no expectation of a further bulge reception class next year.

- ?12M is for permanenet and bulge classes across Southwark. So far ?5M for Lyndhurst permanent expansion to two form entry, ?2M on bulge classes around Southwark and final ?5M to be decided after this round of primary school admissions.

- Goodrich was NOT forced to take a bulge class last year - categorically it OFFERED to provide a bulge class.

- Benefits to the school from capital sum to make the bulge class work that wouldn't have occurred otherwise.

It was made very clear that Heber School does not expect a bulge class to get in the way of maintaining and maing further improvements in standards.

General consensus that keeping in touch with developments would help reassure everyone.

Hope this allays fears.

[James Barber]

Copy of the letter sent out by Heber School 22 April.

The bit about admissions isn't correct as they confirmed last night.

[Smiler]

I think it is good that there will be a bulge class, though as others have highlighted, if there is no such class in future years it will be harder for non-siblings to get into Heber in the next few years.

The letter to current parents from the head says that "every parent who gave Heber a first preference [for a primary school place] will be offered a place".

This doesn't seem to be consistent with the admissions criteria: as Fuschia has highlighted the key ones are having a sibling at the school, then proximity to the school. These things come above preference I think?

If, instead of applying the normal criteria, the extra places in the bulge class have been given to those who put Heber as first choice, it doesn't seem fair to pupils who may live closer to the school, but whose parents didn't realise that the bulge class allocation would work this way.

I might be misreading the statement in the letter, though, or it might just be that those putting Heber first are also those who live closest to the school.

[fearnpw1]

When I consulted Southwark Council prior to completing my application form I queried whether the schools we applied to would be informed of the position of choice on our application form. Southwark Council confirmed the school would not know. I'm confused now that Heber appear to have been given this information. Can anyone explain?

[BeccaL]

But surely a lot of the applications which put Heber as first choice would be applications for siblings of current pupils - so still meeting the criteria?

[VikkiM]

Smiler (apologies if I'm repeating what Fushia and other have stated above) but I'm sure that the additional places at Heber will be allocated according to the usual admissions criteria:

(i) Looked after children

(ii) Children who will have brothers or sisters attending the school at their time of entry

(iii) Where professional evidence indicates that there are particular psychological, medical or social needs which the local authority and headteacher agree can best be addressed at the school

(iv) Children for whom it is their nearest Southwark community school measured by straight line route from home to main school gate

(v) Children living nearest the school measured by straight line route from home to main school gate

James also notes that the admissions part of the Heber letter is wrong.

It may be, by coincidence, that all the places will go to people who put down Heber as their first choice. I think there is a high probability of this as many parents make their 1st choice the school they already have children at or their nearest community school (especially true after last year's shortage of places). As I understand it, if you put Heber down as your second choice but don't secure a place your first choice school, your application to Heber would be judged on the criteria above.

fearnpw1 my understanding would be that schools wouldn't be told about what you have put on your application form. The allocations procedure is carried out by the council's admissions team. Last Autumn, the council set out its decision to have 'bulge' classes and it identified those schools which might have the space to have bulge classes and which were located where demand was high. I guess there has been a process of dicussion/neogication between the council and local schools and headteachers about their school having a bulge class. The fact that Heber is very oversubscribed and lots of people have put it down as a first choice will probably have been mentioned. I've probably simplied the detail of what's happened but that would be my rough reading of the letter.

Victoria

Peckham Rye Labour

Edited to say that information about criteria (iii) would be shared with school but am fairly sure preference stuff wouldn't be.

[fearnpw1]

Thanks VikkiM!

[Smiler]

Yes, thanks for the info.