Petition re Dulwich Hospital site

[redjam]

Thanks for all the pointers above - I have just emailed Mr McFarland, copying in Mr Herrington and Helen Hayes. Really, that Harris 'consultation' is beyond parody. I have just stated my concerns as a letter - didn't bother cutting and pasting the questions as I just thought they were too ridiculous to bother with - though I made it clear that I DON'T think the Secretary of State for education should sign a funding agreement to allow the academy to open (and explained why). This is obviously the key point. Hopefully the more people do this, the more chance someone might actually listen.

[samstopit]

Redjam I agree with you but am concerned that Harris will only receive consultation documents back from people who have children due to start primary, and they won't count the comments that come in outside of the consultation document.

[redjam]

That might well be the case, but the consultation questionnaire is clearly only aimed at people with children due to start primary, so it was impossible for me to answer most of the questions as my kids are past that point. I just wanted to register my views nonetheless - the post from parentsteeringgroup above says that they need to show support from the 'wider community' - in the hope that local voices will be heard, especially if the regional schools commissioner, prospective MPs etc are copied in. Surely the more noise is made about this - whether via petitions, emails or questionnaire responses - the better?

But yes, I agree that if you have pre-school-age children it would be better to fill in the formal consultation form.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Bumping so other's can complain too .

[Otta]

I'm interested in what the good people on here think is a reasonable distance for a KS1 child to be travelling to school?

(I don't mean what the guidelines are, I know those very well as it's my job. I'm interested in what people think)

[James Barber]

For me the distance parents are willing to walk/scoot/cycle their children to school.

[samstopit]

Less than a mile I'd say. We are 5-7 minute walk from our primary which means we never drive it, whatever the weather.

[bonaome]

Otta Wrote:

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

> I'm interested in what the good people on here

> think is a reasonable distance for a KS1 child to

> be travelling to school?

Half a mile. That's Goose Green roundabout-ish to Heber-ish. But I'd expect to walk every day.

[Otta]

Guidelines for under 8s say 2 miles. Which I think is too much, but there you go.

We are now 1.2m from school (having moved from literally around the corner). Her on scooter and me walking takes 20-25 minutes, which is fine, but she's knackered then, so we usually end up on the bus (which takes as long).

[Reg Smeeton]

James, I have just read the consultation 'questionnaire' from Harris. It is embarrassing to the point of being beneath contempt (first question - 'The aim of this school is to prepare children for happy lives and academic success - do you agree?').

Will Harris be publishing the results of this questionnaire? I doubt it, but if they do, how can we possibly trust their figures, as there is nobody to independently audit them?.

I believe there are democratic processes like this in Zimbabwe and North Korea.

[samstopit]

Reg, these are good points. Might be better off raising them with Harris directly via jamie.mcfarland@harrisfederation.org.uk and copy Tessa Jowell jowellt@parliament.uk who is showing an active interest.

[samstopit]

Tessa Jowell MP has written to Daniel Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation, responding to the Harris consultation on the proposed Harris primary school on the Dulwich Hospital site.

See attached. And please don't forget Harris are holding two consultation events on 10th March at Harris Girls Academy. Details of the Harris consultation here.

http://www.harrisfederation.org.uk/26/future-projects/20/harris-primary-academy-nunhead

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Great letter from Tessa. Let hope we are heard .

[Reg Smeeton]

Well done Tessa Jowell, you've put the argument very well. My biggest fear is that the Harris 'consultation' is nothing more than a PR exercise, and that their minds are already made up.

[James Barber]

What a weird letter.

Harris Federation have been clear - and to Southwark Council Overview & Scrutiny Committee in person as well - that if insufficient Nunhead parents aren't interested in seneding their kids to a new primary school at Dul.wich Hospital site then they wont deliver it there or likely anywhere as no other site has been found.

My instinct is parents will say no thank you and it wont happen.

I'm not sure it will increase the space available but we still need to sort this uncertainty out.

[Penguin68]

BUT James - how will this be presented to Nunhead parents? - 'Do you want a primary for your children to go to, or not?' - pretty sure what the answer will be there, or 'Do you want to travel to an awkward and distant part of the borough to educate your primary age children?' well, mayhap a different answer. Harris is not exactly without a history as regards somewhat disingenuous questionnaire drafting.

I think Tessa's letter pretty well sets out the views of most of the ED people who have bothered to post here, apart of course from your good self. Setting out the views of constituents sort of goes with the job of MP of course.

[mrs.lotte]

Really James? Have you actually seen their consultation - they have changed it from Nunhead to Nunhead/East Dulwich so I completely disagree that they have been clear at all, and the consultation is a sham and it's not about what parents want - this is public money if there is no need for it public money should not be spent on an unnecessary school.

Another great letter from Tessa - how refreshing to have a politician that listens to the people they represent.

[confusedbyitall]

WEIRD!!!

Oh dear JB a least Tessa understands what the community needs and wants, a wishy washy do as you like Harris process is all about control and it stinks of something very wrong/corrupt.

Go away Harris and let a very much needed secondary school open on as much land as possible.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Ditto to the last three posters . I'm surprised at your response James.

Thankfully Tessa is proactive and acts on OUR behalf and is OUR voice because we really would be up the creak without a paddle if we didn't have Tessa acting on our behalf .

[Reg Smeeton]

So James, are you saying that Harris will simply listen to whether Nunhead parents want a primary school or not? (Given a choice of a school two miles away or no school, I'd go for the former.) I didn't realise that the views of East Dulwich residents/parents are irrelevant in this.

[BrandNewGuy]

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,1485941

Approval for both the Charter secondary school and the Harris 'Nunhead' primary.

[samstopit]

The Harris primary was approved some time ago. There is still time to oppose it being on the Dulwich Hospital site by responding to the consultation and attending the consultation events tomorrow.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Samstopit , where is the event tomorrow? As I'm opposing the Harris school on the hospital site .

[Otta]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-31791485

They don't care where they put them, they just want to be able to say they've opened a load of schools. The fact that they're opening them where they're not needed and lots of them will be teaching a load of religious crap doesn't seem to be relevant to this shower.

[James Barber]

Hi DB&D, confusedbyitall

You have a remarkably short memory.

East Dulwich lib dems launched a campaign 5 December 2013 for a new secondary school after we had met with Southwark Council who were totally opposed to a new secondary school serving our area. They could not have been more dismissive.

When we had 550 families supporting the idea we re met with Southwark Council and Southwark Labour couldn't U-turn quickly enough. Thank goodness.

So if you'd waited for Tessa we wouldn't today have the great news a new secondary school will be built on surplus Dulwich Hospital land.

Due to my Right to Contest application being approved we know 17,000m2 of land is surpus at the Dulwich Hospital.

It is a huge victory for common sense and I'm proud Lib Dems have made this possible - and that's while we're opposition councillors.

Hi Reg Smeeton,

I thought my post was crystal clear. East Dulwich residents do get a chance to respond and I'm sure many have. But the free school was named Nunhead and Harris have said if insufficient Nunhead parents want their kids to attend then they wont proceed even if lots of East Dulwich parents support it.

Southwark's assumption about primary school numbers don't appear to reflect current dynamics so I still think we'll need another primary school. But my money would be on Harris Nunhead primary school not proceeding.

We can then focus on getting the ED one onto it's permanent site.

Mrs.Lotte,

The Harris primary school had over 250 local families signing up for them.

Are you saying I should abandon them at the first sign a bigger campaign doesn't like that one?

Do you expect politicans to be fickle to sway in the wind of public opinion or to stick to promises wherever possible?

We have delivered one East Dulwich Harris primary school when no other provider would look at our area. Without that 120 local families would not have places locally now.

It appears likely the second Harris primary school wont happen. So be it. But we will have honorably follow through on a campaign we started to solve local school place crisis when others stood by and for two years did nothing.

We could have, as oppoistion councillors, played petty politics saying how terrible the council were to not provided sufficeint school places - as happened the other way round in 2009. Peoples lives and childrens futures are too important to play petty politics over.