Former ED police station fetches in excess of 5 million!

[katgod]

Wow. A new school with even less space than Goodrich and Heber. Because we have not moved on since Victorian days. Or learnt any lessons about space or exercise. And a controversial chain gets to take over yet more education. Really quite sad about this.

[James Barber]

Hi LondonMix,

We always said we wanted two. Sufficient parental support for two. One for East Dulwich and one targetted at Nunhead/Peckham Rye. Suspect the site they'll find will be in East Dulwich. Saldly this hasnt been a cross-part campaign. Southwark Labour have been indifferent and blanked all our requests to join in and lead with us. But at least council officials are including all these free schools in their admissions plans.

The reception school crisis is forecast to reach its worst by Stepmber 2016 with a gap of 215-235 reception places. Judith Kerr helps with 50 places (originally they were destined for Lambeth or Rotherhithe so delighted we found a local site for them), each Harris primary school provides 60 places per year, a few school expansions such as Bessemer adding 30, Belham releivng Goose Green of 30 reception places.

The obvious next problem is then secondary school places.

Hi daveybigpotatoes,

When we started this campaign two years ago we approahc a nmber of school providers. Harris came up trumps - other didnt. More recently others have shown as interest such as Dulwich Hamlet and we will continue to offer advice and support. The next big problem will be providing sufficient secondary school places. Southwark Council deny any requirement providing sufficient places for Dulwich children in Walworth, Aylesbury, Catford, New Cross.

Hi katgod,

I'm sorry it's made you feel sad.

I'd feel even sadder without the ultimate 420 children having local school places.

If you have an alternative site in mind please let us know. We think we've looked at everything in detail.

So the key will be in the design of the school and clever timetabling.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

I honestly assumed that it was going to be one site and that the plan was the East Dulwich Hospital site .

Two different Harris Primaries in East Dulwich is not something I would lend my support to .

[DulwichFox]

katgod Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Wow. A new school with even less space than

> Goodrich and Heber. Because we have not moved on

> since Victorian days. Or learnt any lessons about

> space or exercise. And a controversial chain gets

> to take over yet more education. Really quite sad

> about this.

Foxy was the first to express the unsuitability of this site for a school and got knocked back. Nothing new there.

In an age of increasing Childhood Obesity, certain vote seeking councillors seem to be in favour of building

a school with very little exercise space.

Exercise is as essential as any academic requirement.

In fact exercise has been proven to improve academic achievement.

Not a case of NIMBYism as someone suggested..

Typically Council spending money on Totem Poles. Allowing a Commercial Giant to take over every

Educational Establishment, while other school can't find the money to buy Books.

Losing the will to live..

DulwichFox

[Jeremy]

It's inner(ish) London, it's going to be hard to find a site with large open spaces for children to play and do PE. The hospital site would have been good, but unfortuately that didn't work out. So what are the realistic alternatives?

[DulwichFox]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It's inner(ish) London, it's going to be hard to

> find a site with large open spaces for children to

> play and do PE. The hospital site would have been

> good, but unfortuately that didn't work out. So

> what are the realistic alternatives?

Agree. That would of been a much better site..

There are no realistic alternatives.. sadly. but making do really is not good enough.

DulwichFox.

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Typically Council spending money on Totem Poles.

xxxxxx

Fox, the totem pole came out of a completely different budget - Cleaner, Greener, Safer.

The council can't use that money to fund a school.

And many people including me think it was absolutely fine to spend a relatively small amount of money on something which will really cheer up the area.

[DulwichFox]

Yes Sue it's a different budget.

But .. The council has a certain amount of money and THEY decide how much money goes to each budget.

SO.. More money for schools .. Less for Totem Poles.

I have to budget my money.

No good telling the Council I cant pay my Council Tax because all my money goes into my Beer Budget.

Foxy

[Otta]

Are you still moaning foxy? Do you have kids of primary age? If not, let it go man, you'll put yourself in an early grave with all this worrying about the poor mites breathing in recycled air.

[DulwichFox]

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Are you still moaning foxy? Do you have kids of

> primary age? If not, let it go man, you'll put

> yourself in an early grave with all this worrying

> about the poor mites breathing in recycled air.

I'm not moaning.. Please get off that band wagon . Just expressing my concern.

I have never been involved with anything purely out of self interest.

Early Grave.. ? At my age , I'm already on borrowed time.. :) Many of my old mates have already slipped away.

Live long.. Beer... Curry... Kebabs...

Foxy.

[Otta]

Not jumping on a band wagon, but you do seem absolutely determined to be negative on this thread.

I don't think this is an ideal site for a school, but a school is required, and there's not really anywhere else to put one, so yes, we must make do. There are other areas that they could concentrate on to make up for any failings of the site... Like the actual teaching and education of the children.

[James Barber]

Hi DulwichFox,

I'm pretty certain the new school will have a regular playground and the kids will run around playing pretty much the same games I did as a kid.

The key is in clever site design and agreeing time at swimming pools and the like.

But yes if we had the option in East Dulwich of playing fields that would of course be a better alternative. Sadly we don't. Equally we can;t expand the site by buying adjacent properties. Apart from them being homes it would cost too much.

When the East Dulwich Harris Boys Academy was being planned it was descirbed by some as a Sardine Academy. They get around this by having a good sports hall, booking sessions at sports grounds. But they also go on one week sailing courses and physical activities like that. I suspect the older primary school years will get similar opportunities.

[DulwichFox]

Otta Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Not jumping on a band wagon, but you do seem

> absolutely determined to be negative on this

> thread.

>

I don't think this is an ideal site for a school,

> but a school is required, and there's not really

> anywhere else to put one, so yes, we must make do.

> There are other areas that they could concentrate

> on to make up for any failings of the site... Like

> the actual teaching and education of the children.

Initially all I said was.

  Quote

Considering the amount of traffic and the amount of accidents along

that stretch of Lordship Lane I cannot think of a more inappropriate site for a school.

Any Further comments came about from having to defend myself and views from a tirade of insults aimed at Foxy.

I really don't give a damn what they build there.. Open Prison if they want...

No.. could not be a prison as lack of exercise space would be against Prisoners Human Rights..

Kids do not have rights.. do they. ?

Get my point. ?

DF.

[bob]

This might seem a stupid question but could the old Thomas Calton School at Choumert RD be re used, I think is is now used for adult education could this be moved to the smaller Police station site and the old TC site re built to a new larger grand big new school.

Bob S

[Otta]

DulwichFox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Otta Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Not jumping on a band wagon, but you do seem

> > absolutely determined to be negative on this

> > thread.

> >

> I don't think this is an ideal site for a

> school,

> > but a school is required, and there's not

> really

> > anywhere else to put one, so yes, we must make

> do.

> > There are other areas that they could

> concentrate

> > on to make up for any failings of the site...

> Like

> > the actual teaching and education of the

> children.

>

> Initially all I said was.

>

> Considering the amount of traffic and the amount

> of accidents along

> that stretch of Lordship Lane I cannot think of a

> more inappropriate site for a school.

>

>

> Any Further comments came about from having to

> defend myself and views from a tirade of insults

> aimed at Foxy.

>

> I really don't give a damn what they build there..

> Open Prison if they want...

> No.. could not be a prison as lack of exercise

> space would be against Prisoners Human Rights..

> Kids do not have rights.. do they. ?

> Get my point. ?

>

> DF.

No.

Most prisoners can not be taken off site. School kids can go to local facilities.

I went to St John's when it was on Northcross / Archdale, and that was small with a little playground. We went to Dulwich baths, Crystal Palace sports centre, Peckham Rye (this was in the 80s). Talking about the kid's human rights because there won't be a massive playground is over extending.

[DulwichFox]

Very good point Bob..

Is that Choumert rd. ? I thought Thomas Calton was on Ady's Rd. Is that school still in use?

DulwichFox.

[Otta]

I imagine that would simply cost too much, as you'd need to build the adult education site at the cop shop, then basically rebuild a new school on the other site.

[bob]

Yes I spelt it wrong there where 2 TC's the one at Ayd's is still a school Otta Yer I suppose it all comes down to cost's could they just use the TC site as is.

Bob S

[Otta]

I can't even think of the site you mean, so no idea what state it's in.

[Jeremy]

Thomas Calton on corner of Choumert Grove/Road.

Yeah... but it looks like the old school on Bellenden Rd is being turned back into a school, so not sure whether there's a need for another new school so close..

[bob]

Thank's Jeremy is that defo about the old Bellenden Rd School.

Bob S

[LondonMix]

Yes, Dulwich Hamlet are going to run it as a free school.

[bob]

Great news

Bob S

[keyhole]

Yep,I heard yesterday that it is going to be a school,not a secondary school! Let's see!

[daveybigpotatoes]

what on earth does 'Harris came up trumps' actually mean James. My question was why have they been selected. Your answer that they won because they won isn't great. Presumably you set the policy, the selection criteria, run the selection process etc. pleas answer the question. Why is there no new Southwark BC school? Does Harris support the political parties?