Haberdashers' East Dulwich - 751 families supporting

[James Barber]

TO REGISTER SUPPORT GOTO www.newschool.org.uk

Today we can announce that our chosen provider is Haberdashers' Aske's Federation to provide a new secondary school on the Dulwich Hospital site. It will be modelled on their Hatcham College (but without the junior school).

Now 751 supporting families. Thank you.

Do you support a new East Dulwich secondary school?

We need 180 families to support a new 6 form entry secondary school to make it happen - 90 families with children starting secondary school Sept 2016 and 90 starting secondary school Sept 2017 - currently in year 3 or 4 at primary school. (or 150 for a 5 form entry school).

If you have children due to start secondary school Sept 2016 or 2017 please email me your support for a new exemplary secondary school stating your name, child?s date of birth and your home post code to:

[email protected]

Background:

Locally East Dulwich councillors have been working to solve the Primary school reception places gap. By September 2016 the gap would have risen to 215-235 reception places. We?ve supported one free school that?s opened by finding a site for it and provided the evidence and suggested sites for another two free schools. Together they should provide 170 of the required places and Southwark Council are providing places in neighboring areas relieving demand on Dulwich schools by about 45 places.

But after primary school where will these extra children go ? do we need a new exemplary secondary school to provide enough local places?

The bulge in primary school places started in 2009. Those children will need secondary school places 2016. We also know that currently few families are being offered the secondary school places they want. Instead many are being offered places in New Cross, Crayford, Walworth and that?s before the 2009 primary bulge takes effect.

Council officials tell us we have plenty of places. The same officials that said we didn't have a problem in 2009. They plan secondary school places on a borough wide basis. But most families think much more locally than that.

To test the numbers the Lib Dem leader asked the Labour council leader about school places (page 19 second paragraph). If you ignore the political ping pong he stated ?The forecasts show continuing demand for secondary places and suggest that in the medium term from 2016 additional secondary places may be needed in the borough.?

These jigsaw pieces tell me we need a new secondary school in the Dulwich area opening September 2016.

This date is useful because the East Dulwich Harris Boys Academy will have had two sets of GCSE result by then and should be even more popular with the anticipated great results. So it wouldn?t suffer from a new competing local school. The Charter School and Kingsdale School are both already immensely popular so shouldn?t suffer any rival new school.

Where and what?

Residents don?t need another single sex school because we now have one of each . So a new school would need to be co-ed.

The Dulwich Hospital site is the only Dulwich land with sufficient space for a secondary school. A secondary school would still leave plenty of space for the proposed primary school and proposed medical facilities.

Which provider?

With your support we will attract a great provider and convince Southwark Council to plan places in a more family orientated way.

Do you support a new East Dulwich secondary school?

If you have children due to start secondary school Sept 2016 or 2017 please email me your support for a new exemplary secondary school stating your name, child?s date of birth and your home post code to:

[email protected]

[simonethebeaver]

Is this going to be another Harris school? I don't disagree at all that another school is needed but I am deeply alarmed at the creeping Harris domination of SE London secondaries.

[edanna]

Yes, to really add any choice I think this school would need to be co-ed, non-faith and non-Harris. Our son will be starting secondary school a little later than the dates you mention James but a new secondary would be enormously welcome.

[James Barber]

Maximising choice is really important. Coed a must as we have choice for single sex boys and girls schools locally. Plenty of religious schools in Southwark so non-faith is important.

[bawdy-nan]

Harris has a definite ethos and adding another to the already existing raft of their schools would be limiting choice.

[James Barber]

So far 5 supporting families with another 4 with slightly younger children.

Please do email your support. We need 180 to make a fabulous schools happen.

Please also indicate if you'd like to join a steering committe for this school.

[hellosailor]

We definitely need another school. Co-ed is a must as you say James.

But as the above posters say, NOT another Harris and not another faith school. There are a lot of us that would really balk at the idea of sending a child to a harris academy, as simonethebeaver says, the domination of schools by Harris is increasingly alarming, and they do have a definite ethos / methods as bawdynan says, which lots of us don't buy into and don't want to be a part of. Another Harris would limit choice, as would another faith school.

Would LOVE to see a non-faith, co-ed secondary open. Or two..

[bornagain]

Is the hospital site really the only option for land in the area?

This area has a high concentration of secondary schools - Alleyns', JAGs and Charter. There is already a carefully choreographed start and finish times in play to avoid large numbers of teenagers being disgorged onto the streets at the same time. I think another school in close proximity may prove to be one too many.

The hospital site is large, but not that large. I think more imagination is needed to find another site in another part of East Dulwich or Nunhead. And please definitely NOT Harris.

Edited to clarify

[simonethebeaver]

Is that a serious post, bornahead? Alleyns and JAGS are private school so don't serve the local community.

[Belle]

Can we support with children due to start quite a bit later (think 2020 possibly though my calculation may be wrong!)? If so I'd happily support this. Very keen to see co-ed provision.

[James Barber]

Hi Belle,

Yes, all support helps.

Hi bornagain,

If you know of any 12,000m2 sites in the Dulwich area please do let me know.

I've not found any. Dulwich Hospital site is 27,000m2. Health needs long-term 5,000m2 of it. A primary school up to 5,000m2.

Irony is if we don't place schools there housing is likely which would need lots of school places.

Hi hellosailor,

Don't think we need two new local secondary schools!

One should be enough.

Keen to have volunteers to join a steering committee.

[Shuggy]

This is a great move and I fully back a new COED secondary in the area. The community has suffered I think as families have moved in with babies only to leave when their kids hit double figures in search of secondary schools.

I'd say the needs are straight-forward really: a non-faith, COED with admission based on catchment.

[James Barber]

I couldnt agree more Shuggy.

[intexasatthe moment]

It'll be another Harris . I agree with those not wanting this ,but that's what it will be .

[James Barber]

I'm sure they could be persuaded but we have many providers we can approach.

[intexasatthe moment]

Who James ?

[Jessie]

Will it be a Harris, James? I wish my son could just go to a state, LA-led mixed comp, not sponsored by any corporate money-making venture.

[James Barber]

Hi Jessie and ITATM I've PM'd you both.

We need to show that their is sufficient support for a new secondary school. With that support we can talk to providers and Southwark Council from a better stronger position.

[bornagain]

Simone, it is a serious post. Have you been on East Dulwich Grove at beginning or end of school day? It's teen junction! It's possible to get quite a lot of aggro before and after school between rival schools and my point was that at the moment it is ok, but put another large secondary in the mix and it may not be ideal. The fact that JAGS and Alleyns are private is not the point.

Also if distance is going to be the main admissions criteria for the new school, then being located on the west side of Lordship Lane means that it may not help those who are living in the heartland of East Dulwich ie east side of Lordship Lane where it's hardest to get into a local comp.

James, not I don't know of a site off hand, but surely finding something suitable would be the responsibility of Southwark (or is it not the case as all the secondaries are academies?)

[hellosailor]

Hi James,

Would you mind sending me pm too? Any more info about how to make it not another Harris Academy greatly appreciated

Thanks!

[simonethebeaver]

Bornagain, I lived next to Alleyns School for six years so I know the area very well. Forgive me, but your post did read as if you considered the three schools to offer provision. I agree that it's not ideal given the proximity to other schools, and as someone on the Southwark/Lewisham border, it's likely that we would have no chance of using the school if it was sited there, but I can imagine that there aren't too many options out there.

[newboots]

I cannot support this school if it is going to be so close to The Charter school. Ditto if it is going to be another Harris Academy.

But, yes, we do need a new co-ed secondary for East Dulwich children. I don't suppose there's any chance of persuading Kingsdale to give up their lottery?

Also, if secondary schools scrapped the automatic sibling place policy then we would have less renting in postcode to get the first child a place and the Charter catchment might expand slightly.

[James Barber]

Hi newboots,

Yes, if their was a different large enough site. But their isn't any other obvious site large enough for a secondary school. The alternative would be local children travelling some considerable distances to schools.

So I have to disagree.

[newboots]

Are Kingsdale still famously keeping their class sizes down to 20? How about they go up to 30 per class (like all other state schools) and scrap the lottery? I don''t support a new school on the Dulwich Hospital site.

[simonethebeaver]

My understanding, as a parent who has just done the round of open evenings, is that Kingsdale admits 240 pupils a year, and teaches this cohort in small groups. I do think that its lottery system disadvantages the local kids, although selfishly it does at least give us a chance of a coed school. Maybe it could restrict its lottery area, like Harris Crystal Palace does, which would increase the odds of local kids. Take the SW London contingent out of it.