Head Teacher appointed for The Charter School East Dulwich

[redjam]

Eh? Why will it only extend one way from the overlap and not the other?

I don't know where you live, MsMaz, but obviously I do take your point that if you were directly marketed by Charter and you have no hope of getting into the new school then that's tough and I can see that's extremely annoying. However, how do you know you won't get in? We don't know yet how far the catchment area will extend; it entirely depends on yearly demand (which one would expect to be lower in the first few years as kids take up sibling places or decide they prefer an established school).

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

At the end of the day , whichever methods they use , not every child will get in.

[MsMaz]

Well I'm probably in a 'borderline but very unlikely' kind of position as in south eastern part - as DBB says, of course, not every child will get in and first few years could stretch further. It would be great if they tried to respond to the actual demand outside of the current Charter 1 catchment, at least until the school had established itself, but I expect it would be too complicated. Oh well...we'll see.

[Grotty]

Sadly I live outside any of the proposed catchments for the new school, but my children go to one of the local schools where children will benefit. I also agree with Redjam and Soulking. As the crow flies is fair and transparent. Everyone knows where they stand and kids living closest to the school get priority. I think it IS important that kids go to a local school. Unfortunately, the current situation means that isn't possible, but the whole point of a new school is to make this a reality for more and more local families. It cannot be assumed that all children in the SE22 postcode will get a place, or that they should have preference over SE15/SE5. Even with a 1km catchment, kids within the main heat spot of ED will get places, but families in the southern tip of the SE22 postcode can't assume a place will be offered to them. All parents in proximity of the Dulwich Hospital site were promised the school as another option for their children. Roads on the North side of Goose Green school are East Dulwich and are SE15 and they are practically on the doorstop of the new school site. They were also canvassed by the 2 groups and encouraged to support. Please can we stop talking about the school being aimed at SE22.

[littlek1cker]

Hi everyone,

Here is an update on the new school from Manny Amadi:

I wanted to let you know that earlier this week we had a constructive meeting with the Department for Education following their green light to proceed our proposal to the next stage ? the ?pre-opening phase? for the school. As a result, we are now starting to move plans forward.

New Headteacher

We are starting the recruitment process for the first ever Headteacher for The Charter School East Dulwich! This is with the hope that the new Headteacher will be in place this September 2015 and will be there to develop and oversee the opening of the new school. Clearly, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for an inspirational professional to help shape and secure what will become one of the very best state secondary schools in the country ? ensuring outstanding progress and attainment for all pupils in our community, regardless of their starting points.

If you know any great school leaders whom you believe will make a great Head for the school please direct them to the vacancies section of the Charter website: http://www.charter.southwark.sch.uk/page/?title=Vacancies&pid=11

More pupil places for the new school!

Following our discussions with the DfE this week, it has been confirmed that the new school?s intake will be an 8 form entry for each Year. This represents an increase of 60 places per year, meaning that more families will have children who will now be able to benefit from the Charter School East Dulwich experience.

Our bid was based on a 6 Form entry secondary school, however, the DfE recognised the great need for additional secondary school places locally, as well as the high levels of demand shown by parents and supporters over recent months. They believe that the availability of space on the Dulwich Community Hospital site allows for such an increase. The Charter School Educational Trust has therefore been given the opportunity and responsibility to serve even more families in our local community. We now look forward to creating even greater success for parents. As previously communicated, we will be working to open the school with its first intake of Year 7s in September 2016.

One last Push!

With a larger secondary school comes the need for more space. We therefore need to ensure that The Charter School East Dulwich does not have to share the Hospital site with the proposed Harris Nunhead Primary school. The site will have the new medical centre and The Charter School East Dulwich - but it would be an extremely tight (indeed impossible?) squeeze if another primary school was added to the site.

As you may know, Harris are in the process of their statutory consultation about setting up a primary school on the Hospital site. We need to make sure that they listen to community opinion. Like many stakeholders, the Trust has now written to Harris to state our objection. Their consultation closes next Wednesday 25th March following which decisions will be made about whether or not to allow the placing of a primary school on the site.

We are therefore asking you to respond to the Harris Nunhead Primary School consultation with your views. To do so you can simply send a short email to Jamie McFarland at Harris saying that you object to their plans (assuming of course that you agree with our opposition!). Email: [email protected].

Please do this as soon as you can ? and before the closing date of Wednesday 25th March 2015.

Finally

We will keep you updated with further information as we go along with more details.

As always, thank you again for your on-going support.

Best wishes,

Manny Amadi, MVO

Chair, Charter School East Dulwich Working Party

Vice Chair, The Charter School Educational Trust

[sanity girl]

Thanks for the update - all good news. Just registered my objection to the Harris Primary School with Jamie McFarland

[savage]

Just to clarify, does that mean that the DofE will be purchasing all the additional land on the hospital site (where the primary was to be set up) or that they are planning on squeezing an additional 240 pupils on the land that was originally planned for?

[littlek1cker]

savage Wrote:

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

> Just to clarify, does that mean that the DofE will

> be purchasing all the additional land on the

> hospital site (where the primary was to be set up)

> or that they are planning on squeezing an

> additional 240 pupils on the land that was

> originally planned for?

No decision has yet been made about the primary school, which is why we need as many people as possible to respond to the consultation (link in my last post) by the deadline tomorrow.

[confusedbyitall]

Have you been told by the DfE or any other body how much land you will be getting? Especially with the increase in size?

[littlek1cker]

Not yet. There is a formula that the Education Funding Agency use to determine how much space a school needs. It's based on the number of pupils so we are confident that we will be getting more space than we would if we were proposing a smaller school. But exactly how much space we don't yet know as we haven't yet met with our newly appointed EFA project manager.

[littlek1cker]

Hi all.

Here's a message from Manny Amadi with an update on the new school. Please come along to our first Friends meeting next week if you can (see below)...

Trying to keep you up-to-date as things are moving so fast, and there are a number of items to tell you including a meeting to set-up of a new school ?Friends organisation. But first some welcome news?

Harris Primary school

Some of you may not have heard the really welcome news that Harris have definitely withdrawn their interest in setting up a primary school on the site of the Old Dulwich Hospital. Here?s a link with the news: http://www.harrisfederation.org.uk/26/future-projects/21/harris-primary-academy-nunhead . Thank you to everyone who replied to their consultation.

Forming a ?Friends of East Dulwich Charter School?

We are planning a meeting next week, Wednesday 22nd April, at East Dulwich Community Centre in Darrell Road to discuss forming a ?Friends? Association for the new school. There is a great deal for us to do to open the new school and to make the most of the site and we are looking for people who would be willing get involved and help out during the pre-opening phase. We will also be looking for people to put themselves forward as committee members for the Friends Association.

We will have a discussion about the kinds of ways you could get involved and the help we are going to need. This will include being a link person for one of the local primary schools and a range of ways you could help on specific issues.

We will also talk about the form the Friends organisation should take. To help with the discussion we have a former secretary of The Charter School (TCS) Friends to explain what is entailed. On the evening we hope to have enough people to plan the formation of the new Friends, at a follow-up meeting.

It would be helpful if you could email back to let us know if you are interested in being involved either simply as a support or if you would be willing to put yourself forward as a committee member. In any case, please come along to find out more.

DfE Meeting

We had a great kick-off meeting with the DfE two weeks ago. We were pleased to receive feedback that our bid and proposal for the new school had been found by the department to be exceptionally strong. We will be meeting the Education Funding Agency (who deal with the site) next week. In the meantime we are progressing the plans for the new school.

Head Teacher Interviews

We have had a good response with strong candidates to the advertisement for the Head Teacher of the new school. Interviews will be taking place next week and as soon as we have made a decision on the appointment we will let you know and, of course we will put it on the website. It is hoped that the new Head Teacher will be in place by September 2015 ? this year. This will give the person a whole year before any students come into the school to ensure the curriculum and accommodation is in place for the first students in September 2016. However, we have high expectations and I the unlikely event that we don?t find the right candidate this time around we have left ourselves enough time to rerun the recruitment exercise later in the year without compromising the timetable for opening the school.

Blog

We are setting up a Blog for the new school and will let you have full details in, due course.

Date for your Diary

Meeting: Setting up the Friends of The Charter School East Dulwich

When: 7pm Wednesday 22nd April, 2015

Venue: East Dulwich Community Centre, Darrell Road, East Dulwich

RSVP: [email protected]

Best wishes

Manny Amadi, MVO

Chair, Charter School East Dulwich Working Party

Vice Chair, The Charter School Educational Trust

[Cora]

You say you will put details of the new head on the website...is this the old Charter website or is there one for the new school?

Thanks...just so I know where to look to keep up..

[littlek1cker]

Hi Cora,

I'm sure we'll put the news up on the existing school website. We will also be launching a new website for the blog and if that is up and running in time we'll obviously post it there as well, in addition to posting an update here on EDF.

[littlek1cker]

Hi everyone.

We've found our Head Teacher for the new school! After a recruitment process that managed to be both one of the fastest and most rigorous that I've been involved in, we're really pleased with the appointment we've made. He doesn't officially start until September and he will be busy at his existing school until then but we will look for some opportunities to introduce him to the community before September.

Here's the message from Manny Amadi that went out to those of you signed up for our updates...

Great News ? Head Teacher Appointed

We have found an excellent Head Teacher for the new school. After interviewing a strong range of candidates, Alex Crossman stood out and has been appointed the new Head Teacher for the Charter School East Dulwich. Alex?s track record demonstrates that he is an outstanding leader both in education and his previous career in industry. He has also lived in East Dulwich for nearly twenty years and knows our community well.

Alex is a wholehearted champion of The Charter School Educational Trust?s vision to build a truly comprehensive, inclusive community school that helps all its students, no matter what their background or talents, to reach their maximum potential. He has previously been a member of the Headship team at The Charter School until 2012. For the past three years, he has been Vice Principal of Evelyn Grace Academy, Brixton. At Evelyn Grace he has worked with colleagues to significantly and rapidly improve the school.

Before becoming a teacher Alex held leadership roles in the financial industry and has strong commercial project management experience. Additionally, he has worked on school improvement and education policy in the independent schools sector.

Having only had the go-ahead for the new school in late March TCSET has moved extremely quickly to appoint the Head Teacher and Alex Crossman will be in the role full time from September 2015, so will have a full year to plan for the arrival of the first students in September 2016.

We all are looking forward to working with Alex in his new role.

Best wishes

Manny Amadi, MVO

Chair, Charter School East Dulwich Working Party

Vice Chair, The Charter School Educational Trust

[LondonMix]

Same for me.

The two schools will have very different catchments. Even if they use as the crow flies and even if the greatest distance offered is a mile for the site, the intake would go down into Peckham, up into Forest Hill through all of Dulwich and over to Nunhead.

Who on this forum feels that they won't get in?

DulwichBorn&Bred Wrote:

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

> Not true Otta. I'd be in catchment of Charter 2

> but not 1 .

>

>

> Otta Wrote:

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

> -----

> > When we're talking about primary schools, I'm

> all

> > for people that live close by getting places.

> >

> > But when we're talking about secondary schools

> I

> > really don't think distance should have too

> much

> > to do with it. Secondary school kids should be

> > perfectly able to get a bus to school

> > independently (unless they have a SEN).

> >

> > Those that live close to the new Charter will

> also

> > live close to the original one. Thos that live

> in

> > a black spot will still live in a black spot.

> >

> > Although I do wonder why people are so keen to

> > avoid the Harris secondaries.

[HannahSE23]

Great news about the head.

In answer to your question LondonMix, I live near the top of Forest Hill Road - distance of 1.6km from the new school as the crow flies - and sadly I don't feel my kids would have a chance of getting in given the small charter 1 catchment this year (and the likely equally small charter 2 catchment in 2016). And the reason I don't want mine to go to a Harris school (our nearest school) is that I strongly feel they would be better off in a co-ed school and not single sex.

Anyway, I wish the new Charter all the best and I'm pleased there's a new school in the area. It's much needed. Just wish it (or we) were closer!

[redjam]

I rather suspect that the catchment area will be much wider than people think in the first few years, for three reasons:

1) Many families won't want to send their kids to a brand-new school, which will have no permanent buildings for the first couple of years at least.

2) Many families who live within the catchment will take up sibling places in other schools from their older children.

3) There will be no sibling places taken up in the new school so all 240 places will be free (compare that to Charter 1 this year, which had a huge number of places already taken up by siblings - 70 out of 180, I believe).

Combined, these three things will make a difference. And remember, those extra 240 places will free up more space in other co-ed schools like Kingsdale.

Anyway, back to the head - very pleased he's on board, makes it all seem more real somehow. I assume it's the same Alex Crossman who wrote a series of blogs for the Guardian a few years back on being a fast-track trainee who'd moved from another industry (see here: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2011/oct/12/city-banker-teacher-career-teaching-resources). Sounds like a good chap.

[intexasatthe moment]

I don't know the measurement but when the existing Charter school opened people living in the middle of Barry Rd failed to get in .It was a pretty small catchment area then and I rather suspect it will be the same for the new Charter .

[landsberger]

> 1) Many families won't want to send their kids to

> a brand-new school, which will have no permanent

> buildings for the first couple of years at least.

Actually, I have usually found completely the opposite is true. And it's Charter...

> 2) Many families who live within the catchment

> will take up sibling places in other schools from

> their older children.

Maybe, or maybe not. I don't think it's that much of a draw, tbh.

> 3) There will be no sibling places taken up in the

> new school so all 240 places will be free (compare

> that to Charter 1 this year, which had a huge

> number of places already taken up by siblings - 70

> out of 180, I believe).

70 out of 180 is not that many. And yes, in the early stages, it will draw wider for the reasons you state.

> Combined, these three things will make a

> difference. And remember, those extra 240 places

> will free up more space in other co-ed schools

> like Kingsdale.

You mean the school that one year barely admitted 1/4 of the kids from Southwark (heaven forfend they admit kids who might not get 5 A* to Cs...I don't think more kids to Kingsdale will benefit Southwark any.

[Peggy37]

Sorry, but if I read that Guardian link rightly, this headteacher has less than five years experience as a teacher? He's a banker. I guess we know what direction schools are now heading.

[Curmudgeon]

Peggy37 Wrote:

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

> Sorry, but if I read that Guardian link rightly,

> this headteacher has less than five years

> experience as a teacher? He's a banker. I guess we

> know what direction schools are now heading.

What an idiotic statement. As someone who works in secondary schools I can assure that someone with years of experience at a senior level in the private sector coupled with a number of years as a teacher and senior leader in secondary schools within the local area is ideally placed to become headteacher of a new secondary.

I find it appalling how negative people can be, with no foundation at all.

Although it's too late for my children (the eldest at Kingsdale and the youngest who will start at Sydenham Girls next year) I am delighted to see another school open to lessen the total angst that parents feel regarding secondary school place availability

I wish this school, and it's new head the very best of luck and the benefit of a supportive local community who wishes to add to the opportunities offered to our young people.

[simonethebeaver]

Curmudgeon, I think you're being a hit harsh there. It's more likely those concerns come out of the poster's desire to see the school do well. Education IS changing quickly and in a way that worries lots of people who don't have daily experience inside schools - look at the general discomfort around schools hiring unqualified teachers for example.

I don't work in a school so I don't have your insight. I know a lot of teachers and the views on the new direct entry stuff are mixed I'd say, and I'm sure a degree of professional pride is at risk there too. I was also quite surprised to see how quickly someone can end up at the top. But on the other hand this is a high risk, high profile project for Charter so I can't imagine they'd choose anyone they had less than absolute faith in.

But I think it's hard on people to be shouted down quite so much for expressing reservations about something so new to schools. Humans are not great with change!

[alice]

Charter has previous when it comes to bad head decisions

[edanna]

It seems rather unfair to start criticising this man before he's even started. I don't know him but he does have senior management experience and I'm sure will have a strong vision for the school. Please can we be positive? I know some senior teaching staff who aren't heads but are utterly inspirational and I'm hoping and trusting that he will be a fantastic head.

[uncleglen]

I worked in a school where a deputy had just come out of banking. She was a disaster- totally inhumane. Within 2 years about 70% of the staff she line managed resigned