Huge funding boost for East Dulwich schools

[TJMP]

Following a campaign by local parents and myself and after two meetings I have had with the Schools Minister, Vernon Coaker, I am pleased to be able to report that Southwark has been allocated an extra ?12 million by the government towards the capital funding needed for new school places in the East Dulwich area.

This is great news that will mean that East Dulwich can have a much needed new school and should prevent the sort of chaos we saw in the East Dulwich area earlier in the year over the allocation of primary school places.

Tessa Jowell MP

[MitchK]

Great news indeed. I'm delighted to see that the government has decided to provide our children's basic right to a place at school.

[LegalEagle-ish]

Now, how about sorting out the rest of the schools in Southwark?

[Moos]

That is good news TJMP, thank you. Can you please provide us with more information about when a new school would be scheduled to open, and whether the funding granted would be made available in the meanwhile to fund additional school places in the intervening years?

[O.B.G]

That is good news.

Hopefully it is put to good use soon.

LegalEagle-ish - I hope I never hold a door open for you.

G

[R&A]

This is fantastic news - many thanks indeed

Just a quick question, and sorry if this is a stupid one, but has the funding been guaranteed i.e. already in Southwark council's bank a/c or is there a chance that a new government could reverse this decision?

Thanks

[????]

Yup, brilliant 12 years of "Education, Education, Education" and a massive increase in 'investment'..... and yet we have to have intervention after a terrible mess in an attempt for people to get their kids educated locally. Superb.

OBG - forelock tugging isn't everyone's style

[Reg Smeeton]

This sounds like a positive development, but there's the small matter of:

(a) Where will this new school be built? Has a location been earmarked, because if it hasn't there will be an almighty planning process to go through. (Old Dulwich Hospital site is an obvious candidate for a school, but things are never this simple.)

(b) How long will it take to build? These things can take years, by which time the baby bulge *might* have moved on.

In the grand scheme, it's not that long since local schools were being closed, the one on North Cross Road for example.

And when all these extra primary children reach secondary age, have the calculations been done for secondary places?

[Marmora Man]

R&A Wrote:

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

> This is fantastic news - many thanks indeed

>

> Just a quick question, and sorry if this is a

> stupid one, but has the funding been guaranteed

> i.e. already in Southwark council's bank a/c or is

> there a chance that a new government could reverse

> this decision?

>

> Thanks

As it's Gordon Brown's money it has probably already been accounted for at least twice over and is no longer in any bank account anywhere.

[cookie]

Just to correct a previous comment. The school on North Cross road (St John's and St Clement's) didn't close, it was relocated to bigger premises on Adys Road.

[bawdy-nan]

oddly no word from the councillors on this - feeling cynical but this feels like stage one of yet another political spat. Wouldn't it be lovely if they just said - hurrah that's marvellous lets build a school. Can't quite see it

[sian]

How will this impact on local schools which have not been allocated any funds for new buildings. It is notable that there have been massive investments in the Hamlet, St John's and St Clement's, Heber etc whilst St Anthony's is in very elderly buildings???

[BARA]

I was at a meeting yesterday when Councillors announced increased budget for education. As far as I can tell, this is not for a new school, but to increase existing schools capacity. There is very little land in ED on which to build a school.

That is why the Harris Boys School by the Rye took so long to materialise as a more suitable site could not be found.

I believe the information about the money has only been announced in the past couple of days.

[toast]

Got this Today!!

Dear

Following our campaign and hard efforts over the Summer and following two meetings I have had with the Schools Minister, Vernon Coaker, I am pleased to be able to report that Southwark has been allocated an extra ?12 million by the government towards the capital funding needed for new school places in the East Dulwich area.

This is great news and should prevent the sort of chaos we saw in the East Dulwich area earlier in the year over the allocation of primary school places. Lambeth has also received a generous allocation of ?9 million following further campaigning by myself and parents.

Following the mess Southwark got itself into over the summer I wrote to the Department of Children, Schools and Families making the case for further funding for Southwark.

I will continue to monitor Southwark's performance in the manner in which it treats parents during what was for many, last summer, such a stressful time and made worse by the council's apparent indifference in response. Southwark must up its game in the way that it advises, informs and support parents. I will also be keen to ensure that the money is put to good use so that we see a real improvement in the number of primary school places available.

Whilst I know some parents will understandably remain dissatisfied with Southwark's poor performance last summer I hope they will be able to take heart from this achievement and what it will mean for parents next year and beyond.

With best wishes

Tessa Jowell MP

Oh my days!

[intexasatthe moment]

Is this money only for primary schools ?

[Reg Smeeton]

In TJ's OP it says: "East Dulwich can have a much needed new school"

Given the comments above, it sounds as if that should be "ED can expand its current schools" (on limited space) which is a very different thing. To expand an existing school so that it can take one extra class all the way up means seven extra classrooms. That's a lot, in fact surely it's impossible for any of the existing schools to achieve.

Dear Tessa, please can we have some clarification as to what was meant by the original post?

[Smiler]

Oooh, sounds good, but being cynical wonder like R&A when the cash will actually be dished out (and whether it is dependent on the election).

[James Barber]

This is really naughty and adds confusion for parents. This money is not for a new school in East Dulwich.

The money has been provided as a result of a funding application by Councillor Nick Stanton leader of Southwark Council.

Today Nick said, ?I am delighted that we have been awarded this substantial amount of money to provide more primary school places in Southwark - particularly in the south of the Borough where the shortage has been most acute. I am particularly pleased the government has recognised Southwark's very strong case and our record of delivering new and improved schools over the last seven years.

?We will be using the money to expand ? either permanently or temporarily ? the most popular schools, once we know where parents are applying to send their kids next year. That way more parents will get a place at a local school they really want. We?re working with all the schools in the south of the borough to get their agreement to this more flexible approach and so far the indications are very positive. And my thanks go to them ? and the three schools who took on extra classes this year.

?The Executive ? supported by Cllr Colley?s Scrutiny Committee ? agreed this approach last month so it is now somewhat surprising that Labour is now calling for a new school. They should know how much a new school would cost and how long it would take to open. We don?t have the money or the time and I know East Dulwich parents want action now. Labour clearly haven?t learned from when they last ran the council when they messed up schools so badly their own government had to privatise the education department. They haven?t changed and it?s clear they still don?t know what they are doing.?

[bawdy-nan]

yup - thought we might get something like this

[woofmarkthedog]

TJMP Wrote:

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

> Following a campaign by local parents and myself

> and after two meetings I have had with the Schools

> Minister, Vernon Coaker, I am pleased to be able

> to report that Southwark has been allocated an

> extra ?12 million by the government towards the

> capital funding needed for new school places in

> the East Dulwich area.

>

> This is great news that will mean that East

> Dulwich can have a much needed new school and

> should prevent the sort of chaos we saw in the

> East Dulwich area earlier in the year over the

> allocation of primary school places.

>

> Tessa Jowell MP

________________________________________________

Gawd, sadly TJMP actually may believe what she's saying (this week)

In this mercurial statement of hope we might just be vaguely inclined to vote again at the up-coming election

After all our children are the future however, Tessa many of us have stopped believing the parties rinsed out "promises"

Go on "hit us baby one more time"

W**F

[????]

mmm...and our politicians wonder why so many people are disengaged - we are treated like foooking idiots by them I hate them personally lying, scummy chancers...and that's just her ex.....

[toast]

Moving the allocation of places to before the election would be a show of confidence.

[LegalEagle-ish]

O.B.G Wrote:

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

> That is good news.

> Hopefully it is put to good use soon.

>

> LegalEagle-ish - I hope I never hold a door open

> for you.

> G

That's ok, I'm quite good at opening my own doors, thanks.

[toast]

JBARBER Wrote:

>

> Today Nick said, ?I am delighted that we have been

> awarded this substantial amount of money to

> provide more primary school places in Southwark -

> particularly in the south of the Borough where the

> shortage has been most acute. I am particularly

> pleased the government has recognised Southwark's

> very strong case and our record of delivering new

> and improved schools over the last seven years.

>

> ?We will be using the money to expand ? either

> permanently or temporarily ? the most popular

> schools, once we know where parents are applying

> to send their kids next year. That way more

> parents will get a place at a local school they

> really want. We?re working with all the schools

> in the south of the borough to get their agreement

> to this more flexible approach and so far the

> indications are very positive. And my thanks go

> to them ? and the three schools who took on extra

> classes this year.

>

Nick is saying nothing about the crass nature of the admissions policy which leaves people either their nearest school or the ones no one else wants far away. Learn a lesson from Lewisham (and goodness knows how many other boroughs) or you will have a lot of the same problems this year! There is extra money, schools welcoming the extra funding, everyone is doing their bit but poor policy had a large role to play in the upset last year and needs fixing!

[Jeremy]

Labour clearly haven?t learned from when they last ran the council when they messed up schools so badly their own government had to privatise the education department. They haven?t changed and it?s clear they still don?t know what they are doing.

The politicians can never resist the opportunity to bicker, can they? Don't they understand that people aren't interested in hearing their squabbles?