Take a virtual tour of the new Harris Academy

[James Barber]

Breach of planning laws would be embarassing for Southwark. Such a breach could be resolved in a number of way from atomic one of closing a buuilding/knocking it down to fines.

Tend to agree the one one or two during year with people moving into and out of the area unlikely to have a material impact or concern.

If a school were to ignore planning laws then I suspect parents would be reticent to apply as they might find an offered place is withdrawn at the last minute. So I'd be amazed if any school would play fast and loose on numbers.

[intexasatthe moment]

Thank you James.

Of course the point was that this Academy can ,if they wish ,apply to increase the agreed admission number for any specfic year .

Not the same as one or two people replacing one or two who have moved out - that would be natural movement from the waiting list.

However as I've said ,I imagine it is to enable the Academy to accept individual applications into a year group that is full.

I don't see the link between breaking a planning regulation ( which are not in any case relevant to the issue we are discussing ) and withdrawing an offered place .

[BB100]

If Harris Boys use the park I think it will be over the Headteacher's dead body. He won't even let them set foot in the park even after school in school uniform or step into any shop in the vacinity of the school for that matter. He has even chased after boys in the park and gave them detention when they tried to use it to walk home.

This school is run with miltary percision (literally) - the children march in single file with their heads down - so not a moment will be lost in getting to South Bank fields or the Pulse swimming pool and back again for P.E. In fact I would put money on whether they could bus them to the fields and get changed before Dulwich College boys could walk to their own fields.

P.S I have an almost new uniform to sell if anyone's interested.

[BB100]

first mate Wrote:

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> kylie6097,

>

> - but I would suggest that your comment

> about Harris' lack of clarity on sports facilities

> pinpoints exactly the thing that makes people like

> me suspicious!

>

>

The children get four hours a week of P.E. which is double most schools. They go to SouthBank for sports and atheletics and Peckham Pulse every fortnight for swimming. They will use the velodrome in the summer for cycling. The new school will have an indoor sports hall and a dance studio and there is outdoor space. Every term they have a whole day of sports and they spend a day sailing. They have a sports day and an interHarris sports day. They have football tournaments at the weekend. If your child doesn't like sport or the outdoors I suggest don't send him there.

[BB100]

Reg Smeeton Wrote:

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> Can we establish some facts.

>

> I believe that when the school is finally 'full'

> there will be 750 boys up to GCSE (years 7-11)

There is currently 25 boys per class and six classes. Which yes would make 750 boys when full, excluding the sixth form.

[ruffers]

Cathyg1947 March 14, 01:48PM

How did they get planning permission for this monstrosity? Friern Road School wasn't brilliant but at least it fitted in to the skyline. It's absolutely hideous.

- I think it looks great -

Posted by: BB100 Today, 10:36PM

The children get four hours a week of P.E. which is double most schools. They go to SouthBank for sports and atheletics and Peckham Pulse every fortnight for swimming. They will use the velodrome in the summer for cycling. The new school will have an indoor sports hall and a dance studio and there is outdoor space. Every term they have a whole day of sports and they spend a day sailing. They have a sports day and an interHarris sports day. They have football tournaments at the weekend. If your child doesn't like sport or the outdoors I suggest don't send him there.

- Sounds fantastic. -

I don't know where most of the posters here went to school but my secondary schools had small playgrounds and decent grounds. At dinner time we played footie with a tennis ball on the tarmac, and the grounds ended up being irrelevant. So as far as I can see as long as there's a bit of tarmac for dinner and somewhere to go for games lessons then all's good.

Also I tend to think the clause for extra bodies in a year is a bit like the one in virtually any work contract that says from time to time you may be asked to work extra; it's a get out. In a few years no doubt there'll be someone grateful it's there as it allows younger brother to attend the same school as his brother, even though it's one over the numbers.

[BB100]

ruffers Wrote:

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>>>> So as

> far as I can see as long as there's a bit of

> tarmac for dinner and somewhere to go for games

> lessons then all's good.

>

They currently provide table tennis and football tables in the limited space they have at the moment at the temporary site. They also run lunch clubs.

[Marmora Man]

I think the school looks good when seen across Peckham Rye park from Colyton Road - it sits well on its site and is not intrusive.

[BB100]

James Barber Wrote:

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>

> I'm amazed no parent of a boys at the temporary

> site hasn't said anything on this forum.

Becuase they don't live in E. Dulwich! Only a few children are local becuase parents didn't trust sending their child to the unknown. However if I had the money I would buy a property as close to the school as possible as I can see it will be worth a mint in a few years time.

[jenny1840]

What a fantastic building and addition to the surrounding areas, the children of East Dulwich will have a great school to go to and will not now feel like the poor cousins of the 'Dulwich proper' brigade. I think this building is a testament to the brilliance of the Liberal Party of East Dulwich, who gave whole hearted backing to this wonderful project going out into the community to gauge the opinions of their constituents. Well done and keep up the great work, roll on the Election that's what i say and let the orange phoenix fly !

[intexasatthe moment]

Personally I think opening yet another Harris Academy is nothing to celebrate .

Southwark no longer has a single secondary school under it's control.

Academies are not publicly accountable and you only have to look at what happened in Peckham when a relative tried to protest outside the school about what she saw as the disproportionate exclusion rates for black pupils at the Harris Academy at Peckham to realise their power to distance themselves from legitimate concerns.

A protest exclusion zone now exists around the school and neighbouring streets.

And it may be worth remembering that there are many parents disappointed that the mixed sex school they wanted morphed into this single sex one with what many of us believe are too many bodies on too small a site.

[the-e-dealer]

Into sex at the moment what do you mean an exclusion zone?

[intexasatthe moment]

Protest by anyone near the school has been curtailed by an injunction obtained under the 1997 Protection from Harrassment Act ( a law designed to protect people from stalkers but now increasingly used to keep protesters quiet ).

Injunctions can be obtained without protesters being informed or represented .

Harris Academies used this law to obtain an injunction relating to any intended protest near The Academy at Peckham and the surrounding area.

I think this kind of action by Harris indicates one of the dangers of schools ( paid for out of our taxes ) being handed over to private sponsors to run .

Should you object to the way they are run (the curriculum ,the admissions policy ,the exclusion policy etc ), you will find yourself up against a governing body that is dominated by the sponsor .

And should you have the temerity to persue your concerns by peaceful public protest you will find that this too can be silenced .

[the-e-dealer]

can we stand outside the School? or take photos?

[intexasatthe moment]

This gives a bit more detail ,though no doubt it's probably more complicated than suggested.

they prohibit her or anyone wishing to protest against Harris's school from doing so "in any way whatsoever, including speaking, shouting, amplified sound or by distributing leaflets" within a so-called "protest exclusion zone", which includes the school and surrounding streets.

Limited protests are permitted within a 100-metre stretch near the school entrance, although the use of a megaphone is restricted to "10 minutes with no single period being for more than five minutes between 1.20pm and 2.10pm and no more than three days in any week".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/oct/27/high-court-injunctions-protests