Harris Academy (new boys school for East Dulwich)

[BigDad]

ARCHITECTS CONSULTATION - April 1st

Meetings will be held on Tuesday 1st April, day and evening. You will need to respond by Friday lunchtime if you want to attend. From previous experience, even if you can't make Tuesday but would like to go, do let them know and they might organise another date if there is sufficient interest.

Please email [email protected] to book a slot - they will be held at the girls school and its by appointment only.

OK - so Harris continue to hide behind the architects and wont speak to local parents and residents directly. (So much for their 'working with parents' slogan [did you know they cut parent governors from 6 down to 1 when they took over the girls school?]), At least you get to see the school and quiz the architects.

[zephyr]

2 things - I did not comment on the way the building is designed.

Secondly, you last comment is awful and shows disrespect to many people with this difficult issue. I do not know you or your family so cannot comment on your situation. Dyspraxia has such a wide range of symptons from problems only with some fine motor skills (very common with dyslexics) to more marked motor or neurological issues.

They often go togeher as dyslexics often have dyspraxic issues (of varying degrees). I did not mean to imply that they always go together.

A sports academy may be the right place to some young people with dyspraxis - it will not suit everyone.

What would you rather the Harris academy specialise in? I think in the current climate, sport is a good specialism.

As far as where they do their sport - it really does not matter even Haberdasher Askes Knights Academy don't have grounds on site (neither do Askes at New Cross). We often had to travel to play sport in my day!

Emily Wrote:

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> Actually, it is not at all true to say that

> 'dyslexia and dyspraxia go together', implying

> they are always present together. My son has

> dyspraxia but not dyslexia. As you say yourself,

> your daughter was not referred for dyslexia. Just

> as I said. She was referred for another condition

> altogether.

> The building is still crap, and unfit for purpose

> regardless. Unless you think that stairs are a

> good way for kids in wheelchairs to get to the

> lower level of the building, where the OT

> department is housed.

> Sunshine House shows that Southwark Council is

> incompetent when it comes to creating new

> buildings.

> And let's face it, a school that claims to be

> first and foremost a sports Academy is no place

> for children with dyspraxia. Especially if they

> are half-way bright.

> It would be a cruel joke on our part to send our

> clever, dyspraxic son to such a place.

[Curmudgeon]

zephyr Wrote:

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> What would you rather the Harris academy

> specialise in? I think in the current climate,

> sport is a good specialism.

I think sports is an appalling specialism when there is already a girl's school with supposed great sports facilities (although as they don't even have a swimming pool that is an odd statement). Surely the boys school could benefit from these 'facilities' and bring something new to the offering for the boys and girls of Harris Academies to share and benefit from.

I would actually prefer any other specialism at all: technology or arts or music or enterprise or, dare I suggest Science, Mathematics or Languages

[macroban]

What happens if an academy's business sponsor becomes bankrupt?

[AllforNun]

We will nationalise it ? all the rage mate.......x x

[James]

Probably not a lot as they only provide about 1 percent of the costs

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I noticed this morning that the 'girls' and 'boys' entrance lintels from the original school have been placed as benches by the pond in Peckham Rye.

A shame that the entrances weren't preserved for the new school, but quite a charming use of a bit of local history. Let's hope the vandals don't get them.

Edited after a walk on the far side of the Rye - it's not those gates, they are still in place.

A mystery now, where did the 'benches' come from?

[taper]

I ran past the new school this morning. Looks rather nice!

[MichaelDavern]

There was concern a couple of years ago about the numbers of pupils who are eventually to go there and it was nickamed the "sardine academy". It will not reach its capacity for a few more years and with no playground, sports activities for this sports specialist academy will be done on the park.

[the-e-dealer]

There is a playround which I can see from Bedroom. A very nice Gym which we saw the other week. Some sports activities will be done off-site but not in the park. Also the Sardine Academy didnt really take off as a nickname apart from that pretty accurate post.

[BB100]

MichaelDavern Wrote:

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> It will not reach its capacity for a few more years and

> with no playground, sports activities for this

> sports specialist academy will be done on the

> park.

As I've said before, it will be over the Head's dead body for any Harris Boy to set foot in the park even at hometime. They do their PE at SouthBank, swimming at the pulse, and cycling at Herne Hill. They do 5 hourse PE a week, compared to the two hours most schools do. It's not always what you have it's what you do with it. I visited a school recently with a beautiful playing field but the kids told me that never have the time to use it.

[the-e-dealer]

So we ban local kids from walking in their local park. Just who is the park for?

[BB100]

I'm not saying it's right, but judging from past comments on this forum from people anxious over the boys use of the park it's probably a sensible decision to prevent local resident uproar, lol.

They have to go home and change out of uniform if they want to use their local facilities. They are not allowed in shops in uniform, either.

[the-e-dealer]

Some might say Why not ban everybody from the Park ? sell it off and build houses that'll keep the Council Tax down.

[pk]

BB100 Wrote:

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>

> They have to go home and change out of uniform if

> they want to use their local facilities. They are

> not allowed in shops in uniform, either.

what happens if they don't?

[BB100]

If they get caught they get detention. Staff currently stand outside the shops and park to stop them going in.

[pk]

that's ridiculous

i thought that the place wasn't even open yet

[BB100]

It's on a temporary site in Dulwich with 150 boys in Year 7.

[James Barber]

The Harris Boys Academy opened on a temporary site at Langbourne primary School.

It moves into its permanent home this September opposite Peckham Rye Park.

[BQC]

Hey E-Dealer. This playground you keep reminding us that you can see from yr house. You still truely believe its an adequate size for 700 teenage boys ? Personally i think that's utter nonsense.

School looks great - just too many boys on one site (esp with the park issue as well).

[BB100]

Most schools stagger their lunch breaks so only half the school is outside at one time. And then it still wouldn't be that many as they also have clubs and children inside eating their lunch in the dinner hall!

[the-e-dealer]

Ofcourse they wont all use the playground at the same time derr!

Good News From Harris!

SOUTHWARK footballer Afolabi Coker followed in the footsteps of Rio Ferdinand, Ledley King and Ashley Cole by starring at the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games.

Coker, who like Ferdinand hails from Peckham, captained Southwark to victory as they overcame Brent in the five-a-side football final.

The Harris Academy schoolboy, fourteen, impressed as Southwark scored fifteen goals throughout the tournament, conceding only three in the process, and Coker was quick to hail the team effort.

[Ligaturiosity]

I am sorry if I am coming in on a tangent here, but whether residents like it or not (and I only live 5 minutes away from this new academy), the area definitely needs a new boys state secondary school. I used to be a teacher at one of the Harris Academies, and it was quite the vilest place I have ever worked (as a teacher). I won't go into the ins and outs of how I feel about the mixing business principles with education and staff disquiet etc etc. but despite very high staff turnover rates, and promoting people at a very young age in order to retain them, the academies DO raise standards. Dramatically in some cases. These academies tend to have high percentages of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and as has been said, before they were academies they tended to be sink schools. Results and performance have been raised in almost all the schools since they became academies. I think the ED Girls Academy when it was Waverley had something like 30% pass rate at GCSE and it is now over 50%. No mean feat when one considers that the intake is pretty much the same as it was then.

There are too many private schools in the area, and not enough decent state schools. Although I did not enjoy being a teacher at one of the Harris Academies, I would consider sending my children to one, as the results and behavious management were excellent - even if the staff retention was not!

[legalbeagle]

"Too many private schools" ? How many is too many?

[legalbeagle]

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